


Singular Child

by Werepirechick



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Doomed Timelines, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, End of the World, F/M, Family Loss, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Gore, even I'M not sure how that happened, first of it's kind, formerly a oneshot but i'm reuploading it as a multi chaptered fic, leo raph and donnie are only technically in this actually, mikey gets to be the BAMF in this universe, relationships sneak in at the end just you watch, sorry boys it's mikey's turn in the spot light, sorry for any confusion, there's no tag for that ship either, this has no happy ending, too bad everything else is terrible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-06-09 18:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6919087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werepirechick/pseuds/Werepirechick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First it was Leo, then it was Raph, then Donnie, and finally Splinter.</p>
<p>One by one Mikey's family disappears. They all leave one after another, until it's just him alone in the echoing walls of their home.</p>
<p>He doesn't blame them though.</p>
<p>Sometimes... things just happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I wrote this.
> 
> I can't believe I spent a whole week working almost non-stop on it.
> 
> This is hands down the saddest, and longest thing I have ever written. Why did I write it? Because after I wrote a chapter for one of my other fictions, I started thinking "What if, what if, what if..." so here we are. I needed to share my internal pain over an AU that made my partner say, and I'm quoting here, "JESUS HOT SAUCE CHRISTMAS CAKE WHY".
> 
>  
> 
> Please enjoy as much as they did. *:ﾟ*｡⋆ฺ(*´◡`)
> 
>  
> 
> ((Re-uploading, 06/07/2016, as a multichaptered fic.))

It starts with a winter so cold, that its icy claws reach deep into the sewer systems; freezing every bit of water it can.

Their family, five mutants huddling together, struggle day in and day out. The winter is so cold, that the blankets and heaters aren't enough most nights to stave off cold burning on their skin. Splinter does his best, fetching whatever he can find from the surface, over and over again.

Sickness, as it is prone to do in such extreme environments, takes hold in the family. It jumps from person to person until they are all too sick to leave the bedding. Splinter, feverish and weak, forces himself on the fifth day to return to the surface to get medicine and food for his family.

He leaves his sons, all of them far too cold and weakly conscious, and hopes they will be fine until he returns. The fever reaches a pitch though, as he is scaling roof of a facility; preparing to break in. His breath is too ragged and his eye sight too dim; and so he lets his instincts take over. They demand he find shelter, and stay still until the worst is over.

Splinter lays down, hidden inside of an unused air conditioning unit, and does not rise again for two days.

In these two days, Leonardo, his eldest, his first, wakes up from his deep sleep to find his father gone. In his sickly haze, he notes that his three brothers still sleep; twitching and coughing in their slumber. Leo is the biggest brother, and he knows until his father comes home he's supposed to keep his brothers safe.

But the sounds that Donatello is making in his chest scare Leo so much he can't remember anything beyond that he's supposed to find his father for this; he needs his father here, and now. They all need him.

So he pulls himself out of the covers of the blanket nest, and goes to find him. Before leaving, Leo sloppily pulls a blanket and coat around his shell, and then heads out into the tunnels.

He keeps walking and walking, his green little toes getting colder with each step until they hurt, but he keeps going. Maybe his father will be just around the corner of the next tunnel... just a little further... then... he can rest for a little while.

Just for little while, then he'll keep going...

Leonardo, so small and young, slumps down on the wall of the tunnel and does not stir again.

 

 

  
His father wakes up finally, and rushes home with the medicine two days too late.

Splinter finds his child stiff and cold in the tunnels.

There is nothing he can do.

 

 

Spring comes too late as well, always too late to prevent winter's reaping. Splinter takes his child's body, wrapped in three thick blankets, and buries him in the dirt of their new home.

His three remaining children stands close as possible to each other behind him, latching fingers onto the others.

Splinter stands up from the gravel and dirt mound at the base of the tree growing from the floor, and takes his children from the room.

He carries on, despite old wounds now reaching even deeper into his heart and soul.

 

 

 

Their new home is spacious, and they fill every inch of it with their possessions. Years go by, the three young mutants grow up, and are soon pre-adolescents. Every inch of their sanctuary, they know it by heart. Their voices bounce and boom freely without worry of humans hearing them, filling the air with children's voices and play.

The empty space where their big brother once was however, can't be filled.

They adjust though, shifting from a quartet to a trio; angling themselves so they become a triangle that cannot be broken apart. Splinter began teaching them soon after they had moved in, showing them the way of a ninja clan from across the sea.

The katanas that would have been Leo's are hung on the wall of the burial room with incense on a table beneath, as close to a shrine as Splinter is able.

Three brothers learn to master their weapons together; sais, a bo, and nun-chucks.

Raphael, second eldest who's become the eldest now, works harder than both his brothers combined. He studies every kata his father shows him with deep concentration; he's the big brother now, and he can't fail his family.

His anger runs deep, a loss that can't heal over drives his emotions to extremes. He keeps it concentrated on the practice dummy though, no need to aim it on his family; his rage isn't directed at them, but the world and its unfairness.

He is only nine and already his physical strength can match his father's. He needs this strength, so he can protect his siblings in the place of his deceased brother.

He tries hard as he can to be everything Leo was, supportive older brother and a leader. It doesn't quite fit him some days, the desire to atagonize and goad his brothers to fight rather than be something resembling diplomatic is frequent.

Raph keeps at it though, restraining his temper when it threatens to get the best of him, and tries to solve things how Leo might have. It goes against his knee-jerk reactions, but it works. It has to, someone has to be the leader, and it's got to be him.

 

Raph, always ready and eager for a training exercise, badgers his father into taking them out into the sewer tunnels for a game of tag one day. Splinter is It and he and his brothers are meant to try and avoid their father's grasp for as long as possible.

Worn down by his son's excitement, which is quickly joined by the other two's, agrees to take them out.

It is a race, one Raph enjoys more than anything; the running, the leaping, the jumping- he loves every moment of it. At the fifteen minute mark, his legs burn pleasantly and he and Donatello have teamed up together; Mikey having already been caught three tunnels ago.

Donatello is the one with a plan for escaping Splinter, and Raph is the one who will execute it. The tunnel they're running through ends in a chamber that branches off into more tunnels. A number of them have smaller pipes, turtle sized, that connect them along the walls. They'll split up inside of the chamber to confuse their father, and then reconveine again once Raph has lured Splinter down a tunnel. It's the perfect plan.

Neither of them hear it until it's too late, the sound of voices coming from an adjacent tunnel, as the wall they run beside explodes inwards and showers them with rubble. Outside of it, men from above have heavy machines and hold the button that set off the explosives.

In the split second before the rocks had hit him and his brother, Raphael had grabbed Donnie and curled his body as much as he could around him. Raph takes the rocks full force on his shell.

It cracks, the weight and force too much.

Raphael passes away holding up hundreds of pounds worth of rubble off his brother's prone form; utilizing ever drop of strength he worked so hard for. His body is locked in place by sheer force of will, and stays that way until his father digs them out.

Splinter entered the tunnel just as the bombs went off, and saw his two children disappear under it. He kills ever last one of the men responsible, as they try to stop him from pulling his sons from the rocks.

Blood flecks his fur and covers his hands, both theirs and his now that the rocks have torn at his claws and skin. He finally, finally, spots green underneath and recues his children.

Donatello's eyes are wide and as red as Splinter's hands, are filled with tears as he is lifted free. Splinter pulls them both from the mountain of stone and lays them beside the unbroken wall opposing. Splinter checks Raphael's pulse, and finds nothing. He almost cracks himself when he finds the weeping wound on his son's back.

Donatello is bleeding though, in multiple cuts and his left leg is bruising dark and angry. Donatello is still alive.

Splinter gathers them both in his arms, and runs back to the safety of the lair.

That night, a new mound is made beneath the burial tree. Raphael's sais join Leonardo's swords upon the wall, new incense burning sweetly underneath.

Michelangelo is crying, thick tears trailing down his face; his hand is clutched in Donatello's and shakes minutely. Donatello has become stony, eyes dried after they'd come back and treated his injuries. Late on that night, Donatello's heart has closed in on itself and he stands tall as he can. His hand shakes, but only because of his brother.

They watch their father cover their older brother with dirt and gravel, nestled beside their eldest and the roots of tree.

Splinter leaves them for his room, no words to be said and only a hug to be given. Donatello takes his brother, his only brother, and makes them both tea.

Mikey can cry, and their father can too. It's his turn to be strong, just like his brother.

 

 

 

Splinter barely drags himself from his quarters that week, and well into the rest of the month. Every step is heavy as his heart, and he is weakening. Only the sight of his two sons lets him carry on, they still need teaching, protecting, a father.

So he gets back up, and continues.

 

 

 

Their home is silent; the only noise is made when it's time to train. Sessions are intense now, and warnings of leaving home graver. Donatello does not have the soul of a warrior, he is meant to invent and engineer, but he takes each lesson with utmost attention. He can't afford to not.

Michelangelo follows, just as intense in his focus. Once, he might have been lax and prone to goofing off. But there is no place for that now, not when so few of them are left. He is quiet and absorbs every new teaching, only letting a little of his rambunctious nature leak out when they are finished.

He and his brother sleep in the same room now, unwilling to leave the other alone. They are growing quickly, but the small bed is a smaller price to pay to be able to wake up and know each other are safe.  
They are quiet, dependant, and very careful now. They can't lose another brother, they just can't.

Donnie, in the months and years that follow Raph's death, takes it upon himself to make their home as safe as possible.

He takes and steals as much technology as he can finds in the sewers and the dump, and turns them into defenses. Computers he repairs, old hulking things that run faster than any new ones now, he uses them to hack into the city's files on the existing tunnels below. He finds the tunnel they live in, and all the ones surrounding it for a mile, and changes the files.

Now, if anyone should ever consult the records about the area, they'll find that the ground is too unstable to construct anything in. And if they tried, it would surely open up into an enormous sink hole.

Donatello will never let what happened, ever happen again.

In the lair, he builds as much as he can. Improves their sanctuary's living standards and exceeds those standards monthly. Mikey, bless his steadfast heart, helps as much as he can by handing him a screw drivers and wrenches or making coffee at three AM.

Their father does not interfere other than when they need to go for supplies. When they do leave the lair, it is in a tightly knit formation that does not break once the whole trip. The stress it brings on them all, being exposed and vulnerable like that, is worth it every time.

When they are thirteen, both getting growth spurts and getting taller every day, Donatello learns that a mass recall has been ordered for a computer series that malfunctioned so badly it bankrupted the company trying to amend the refunds. Donatello knows exactly where these computers are going to end up, and he knows just how to take them apart so they work perfectly, if not better.

Splinter, prematurely grey and gaunt around the eyes, is very wary of this plan. But he understands his son's need to stretch his ever increasing intellect and the benefit of having such a device in their home.

So he says yes, but only if they take their weapons and he comes with them. Donatello agrees, and Michelangelo says so too. They leave the lair and slip through the long tunnels beneath New York.  
The junk yard where the computers are being left is large and on a lesser side of town. The family is less exposed here, with that lack of towering and brightly sky scrapers.

Donnie is on the stacked computers immediately, directing his father and brother to pick up the ones he thinks will work best for them. They grab the ones with the un-cracked screens and the processors that survived the trip from their former homes.

As they lug the parts to the man-hole, Donnie remembers a part he's been meaning to get and saw back on the piles behind the computers. He tells his father and brother that he'll be quick, and right back.

Slipping back over the fence of the yard with ease, Donnie smiles to himself as he hops and climbs the piles. He finds the part he was looking for, and turns to start back for his family when voices and gun shots drag his attention away.

A local gang, the one that controls this area of the city, is in a fight with another. Men and younger men who are really just boys shoot firearms rapidly at each other, five of them falling in the seconds Donnie stops to watch.

He snaps free of the shock and scrambles to escape the yard.

He leaps off the garbage heap and ducks into the shadows, sprinting quick as he can. Behind him, the shouts are turning to angry screams. What he doesn't see is the aggressing gang making a run for it as well, in the same direction.

As Donatello makes it to the last stretch of the yard, he feels pain hot and explosive in his side. Red that matches his eyes spurts from his right, and he stumbles. Only because of his training, does Donatello righten himself and keep going.

He is in pain, blinding, blinding pain; but he forces himself to clamber the wall and make it to safety. On the other side, his father is heading for the same wall with panic in his eyes.

Donatello lets himself fall from the top and into his father's arm. Splinter holds him tight and runs for the sewers, a red trail following them.

Inside the tunnel, Michelangelo anxiously waits with the computers. When Splinter drops down without bothering the close the hatch above, Mikey knows something is wrong. His whole body locks up when he sees his brother in his father's arms.

They abandon the computers as they rush home.

 

 

  
Donatello doesn't make it through the night.

The wound ruptured multiple organs, an unlucky shot, and even if they'd managed to get the bullet out and sew up the organs there would have been no blood to replace what was lost.

Donatello is pale and far too still on the mat of their father's room. In his hand, clutched in a rigor mortis, was the piece of computer technology he'd gone back for.

Mikey's father won't move no matter what promptings he says, so Michelangelo takes the responsibility of cleaning his brother's blood away. A warm cloth in hand, he lets warmer tears fall off his scales as he cleans the rust from his brother's plastron.

He learned a lot from his big brother, including how to sew. So he takes the suture and thread specifically for this, and closes the small hole on Donnie's side.

When he is done, Splinter finally moves from his bow and picks up his third son. They take him to the tree, and dig a hole together. Donatello is laid right beside his big brothers, older yet still younger, and covered in dirt and gravel.

Mikey mounts the bo staff on the wall, alongside the bladed weapons. He lights the incense, and cries silently for as long as he can before the tree.

Splinter stays with him the whole night, until it is well into the next day and they leave the room.

Mikey goes into the kitchen to drink only a glass of water, before going to the room he and his brother shared. He cries until he passes out, shock and exhaustion finally blackening his vision.

Splinter sits in his room, staring at the knife he has brought out from its locked box. He does not sleep, not until he has made up his mind.

Putting the knife away, he lies down, and sleeps fitfully for a few hours.

 

 

 

Splinter spends no time with Michelangelo, and Michelangelo does not seek him out. Mikey spends his time straightening out Donnie's lab one last time, placing the motherboard from the junk yard on a table as a sort of last honor. It was the last thing Donnie had asked for, even if it took him away in exchange.

The floors are swept and the former experiments disposed of. When he is finished wiping off the counters of all the tables, Mikey goes to make himself tea and sit beneath the funeral tree.

Splinter, meanwhile, is stealing from the stores above during the night. He uncaring of the cameras that see him, or of the windows he breaks. He has one last mission, and he is going to fulfill it.

He takes canned goods and medicines and as much bottled water as he can find; hauling it all down into the tunnels. He only comes back to the lair when Mikey is asleep or too busy to notice him; stashing the supplies in his bedroom. When it is daylight and he cannot go above ground, he writes on papers he has collected over time. Using ink and a careful hand, his clan teachings flow onto the pages.

Finally, when wall to wall his room is filled, he dresses himself in his favorite burgundy robe and goes to have dinner with his son for the first time in a week.

The dinner is quiet, neither speaking as the food is eaten. Mikey doesn't ask where the supplies for the dinner came from, fresh fish and all the dressings to make a traditional Japanese meal. He doesn't ask because he doesn't care anymore.

So they sit across from each other, ignoring the empty stools on their sides, and eat their sushi and rice.

After the dishes are washed and dried, they leave the kitchen together. Mikey pauses when his father does, at the halfway point where they'll split off to their own rooms. They stand, facing each other, with tired and sad eyes.

Splinter reaches out and Michelangelo does too. They hug each other, curling around their remaining family members.

“Goodbye, my son,” Splinter says.

“Goodbye, tou-san,” Mikey says.

Splinter leaves Mikey standing in the silent lair, heading for his room. Mikey watches him leave, until the red of his robe and his tail disappears around the corner to his room.

After that, Michelangelo goes to bed too; only falling unconscious because of the pills he has for sleepless nights.

 

 

 

Not an hour later, Splinter emerges from his room again. He shuts the door silently, and walks slowly through his home. He visits the burial room, kneeling before the tree and praying under his breath for his sons in the afterlife.

Then, he takes the green cane he has taken to carrying as his weapon, and places it before the tree. He stands, and leaves with a whisper of rustling fabric.

He walks out of the lair, and deep into the tunnels. He walks, and walks, and walks. The small knife tucked against the inside of his robe shifts with every step.

He does not come back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Re-uploading, 06/07/2016, as a multichaptered fic.))

 

Michelangelo wakes the next day, and knows instinctively that he is now... alone.

 

He said goodbye instead of goodnight, because he knew he would not see his father again.

 

Michelangelo might have been slower at ninjutsu that his brothers, but he was never one to miss the social signals his family gave off.

 

He lays in bed, despondent and resigned.

 

He does not blame his father, or his brothers. Sometimes... things just happen.

 

 

He finally gets up from bed after staring blankly for hours and goes to look inside his father's room. Inside, he finds enough to live off of for at least a few months. And placed on top of the stacks, are neatly bound scriptures written by his father.

 

He takes them and a bag of bread to the kitchen.

 

He makes eggs to go with his toast, and sits down to eat. He has no appetite, but he eats anyways. He needs to keep his strength up. Why he needs to... well he hasn't come up with a reason yet. Right now, all he can do is follow steps he has taken every day for years now.

 

Follow the steps of his old self, just until he can figure things out, is what he tells himself.

 

When he finishes his breakfast, he doesn't bother cleaning up the dishes; he just leaves them in the sink and goes to read the scriptures.

 

He climbs into the pipe that juts into the main room, more than large enough for him to sit inside of. There are candles and matches already inside, and a soft blanket with pillows lay on the bottom. This was his favorite place to read with Donatello and Raphael; the latter and he would be on either side of Donnie as he easily read aloud the long books filled with words and not pictures when they were young.

 

Mikey lines the five scriptures before him in order of chronology, picks up the first one, and begins to read.

 

His ADHD makes it hard to stay still for so long, but he does because the grief and depression tromp his usual twitchiness. He reads every book, cover to cover, and learns what his father meant to teach him and his brothers.

 

There are carefully drawn diagrams and instructions for moves Mikey hasn't even touched on yet. Long paragraphs are dedicated to explaining the Hamato clan and it's history. Martial arts, meditation, medicine, weapon smithing skills, they're all written and more into the five thick books.

 

In the last book, Mikey finds the record of the wife and child Splinter once had in Japan; and the feud he lost them in. He can't tell how he feels about it, the woman and daughter his father had once and the betrayal of Saki. The story doesn't end there though; it bleeds into the next page, where it starts the story of how Hamato Yoshi became a father once more to four mutants.

 

Mikey has to put down the book a number of times and just breathe before continuing; the tales of how one after another his family died off. Until finally, it reads, that the father could take his grief no more and committed suicide.

 

And the last son, the youngest and kindest, was left alone.

 

The story ends there.

 

Mikey puts down the book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A day later, when he goes to light new incense for his brothers, Mikey finds his father's s cane under the tree.

 

He places it on the wall above Leo's swords and Raph's sais and Donnie's bo.

 

He light incense, and doesn't move for a very long while from his place beneath the tree. He curls up against the trunk, letting dirt and gravel dust him. The places where his brothers lie, he swears he can feel their presence.

 

He huddles closer to the trunk, and tries to pretend he's there with them or they're here with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He hasn't said anything in days, or heard anything outside of the noises he causes with flipping pages or making food.

 

His appetite continues to be gone, and he continues to eat anyways. He freezes whatever bread he has left, and finishes off all of the fresh produce. He takes the cans and bottles from his father's room and brings them into the kitchen. They line the cupboards to bursting and along the counters to the edges.

 

Once, this might have made Mikey excited; because there was so much food and so many options for meals.

 

But he is alone now, and it doesn't do anything beyond assure him he doesn't have to break routine yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's when the counters begin to be clear again and the water getting low, Mikey finally finds a way from his fog of grief.

 

He cleans out his father’s room, storing the blankets and putting away his meager items of belongings. He dusts Raph's room and the intended room for Leo, and even Donnie's lab. He neatly folds sheets of the bed he shared once, and cleans every inch of the(ir) room.

 

Then, he takes the scripture containing katas and stances and sets to working out.

 

He is not Raph; he doesn't take joy from the exertion. He is not Donnie, who took to learning with fervor and purpose.

 

He is Mikey, and he is the last. And so, he'll take the final teachings of his father and learn them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the food has run out, Michelangelo takes his nun-chucks and tucks them into his belt. Inside the burial room, he says a quick prayer for his safety, asking his brothers to watch over him.

 

His voice is rusty from misuse, and feels like the gravel on the floor.

 

He leaves his home, and goes to the surface; the anxiety he might've felt isn't there, just a solid feeling of calmness. He has nothing to lose if he doesn't come back, and no one to lose him.

 

He'll be careful regardless of that.

 

He slips from the sewers and into the chilled night air; not pausing until he is safely on top of a roof. Then, he stands and takes in the sights of the city. The lights, the wide open sky, and the seemingly endless buildings stretching around him.

 

He takes a deep breath, the ducks into the night.

 

He takes only what he can find, not daring to enter a closed store yet. He flits above the ground below quick as a shadow, only dropping down to check dumpsters outside of restaurants. He finds a Japanese establishment, and takes as much as he can carry from there. His bags are full of day old noodles and dumplings of the squished variety.

 

He returns home and puts most of it in the refrigerator. As he closes it, he realizes that without Donatello around to fix it in the event it might break down... its unlikely Mikey could fix it on his own.

 

He pushes that thought away though. The device is still running smoothly, and it is very rare for something Donnie has made to break down.

 

If it does, Mikey will cross that bridge then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He creates a new routine from this night.

 

Sleep, wake, eat, study, exercise, eat, study, sleep. Only breaking from this when he needs to replenish his supplies, and that's the only time when he'll go to the surface world.

 

He keeps with his new routine for at least another month before he has to stop. There's not enough stimulation in his activities anymore, and even he can recognize the signs that his mind is suffering from it. His ADHD bothers him even more than it used to and his thoughts slip rapidly into dark places if he's not careful.

 

He needs to change things up, otherwise he'll go the same way his father did; and he doesn't want to die. Not yet, not for a long time. Even with his isolation, a part of him still wants to do something with his life; if only to live it for his brothers who couldn't.

 

He makes a run to the surface, and comes back with movies to watch.

 

He adds movies and books other than the scriptures to his routine. The videos he finds are often very old or of poor quality. He watches them all anyways.

 

He spends longer and longer times outside of the lair at night, learning the tunnels and the streets above them. He learns the gangs of thugs that patrol his neighborhood and the routes of the police that patrol the gangs. He memorizes the times when humans return to their homes at the end of the day, and when they'll begin to wake for the next.

 

He watches, silent as his home is, and learns exactly how his territory ticks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quarter of a year after his family leaves him, Mikey begins to suspect there is something growing inside his mind.

 

It begins with flickers outside of his peripheral and soft whispers in the back of his thoughts.

 

They sound, and look, an awful lot like his brothers.

 

He is scared at first, thinking at last his end is going to come from the deterioration of his mind. But the words are never unkind, just reminders to eat or corrections to his stance. And the flashes of green in the corner of his eyes bring a bit of life somehow to the desolate house.

 

Mikey lets them grow, lets them keep talking; he has no reason to stop them. He is lonely, so achingly lonely, and if his brothers want to join him then let them.

 

The flashes turn into figures, and the whispers turn into clear words. Soon, Mikey will walk out of his room in the mornings and find one or more of his brothers wandering the lair. They follow him, through his routine day in and night out.

 

Their ages change every time he sees them. Sometimes Leo is as young as when he passed, other times he looks as though he is the same age as Mikey. Donnie and Raph are similar in this sense, both changing how old they are all the time.

 

They're see through, and Mikey knows it’s not possible for them to be real, but he lets them talk to him and he talks back. They are long dead, but he welcomes them back anyhow.

 

Eventually, Mikey becomes curious about what they might be. He asks Donatello what they've become, and all he gets is a shrug. None of them know.

 

They consult one of Donnie's long abandoned computers for answers, asking the internet about Michelangelo's symptoms.

 

_'Schizophrenia'_  is one result, describing auditory and visual hallucinations. But  _'Headmates and multiple personalities'_  also fits. They move onto the supernatural results and get mostly junk, only some pieces helpful.

 

Mikey tells Donnie he gives up, closes the tabs, and calls it quits. He'll just let things be, seeing has he has no problem having company.

 

Raph says he's acting a little crazy, accepting things so easily. Mikey just laughs, for the first time in forever, and says he just might be crazy. But at this point, it's fine by him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A year goes by and suddenly it's their mutation day.

 

Michelangelo doesn't really feel like celebrating himself, and instead celebrates his brothers. He collects small gifts to place as offerings in the burial room without any of them seeing.

 

They're surprised when he lays out sweets and candies on the make-shift alter. He can't give them books or games or anything like that, but he can share these with them.

 

They spend the night talking in the room beneath the tree and Mikey eating his share of the candy slowly.

 

Mikey is fourteen and so are his brothers, and he's not alone anymore; crazy or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He learns the scriptures by heart, even if he can't perform all of the lessons inside yet. But he works hard at it, with encouragement from his elder brothers every session.

 

Raph, dead or not, hasn't lost his edge in martial arts. He corrects Mikey where he is sloppy, and tells him when he's stepped into a stance wrong. He and Leo are the ones who work with him the most, though they can't explain why Leo knows so much.

 

Further evidence they're a product of Mikey's rather broken mind.

 

Leo helps Mikey by being a sparring partner while Raph couches them. It works, somehow, even if they can't touch. Leo acts as his target and shadow boxer, aiming his blows at Mikey to help him learn to dodge and weave. It also helps him learn, in theory, how to bait an opponent into chasing him rather than the other way around like with Leo; having them chase him, a smaller and quicker target, means they waste their energy. And when the person is too tired to chase further, Mikey would strike.

 

The nun-chucks and other weapons pass right through his brothers, but the meaning is there regardless.

 

Donatello teaches him about his machines left unfinished in the lab and the ones already installed in their home. Most of it simple, like repair and upkeep of the household objects Mikey still uses. Some, like the conductors that bring them power for heat and electricity, are more time consuming and complicated.

 

Mikey works his hardest to master it, seeing as Donnie can't lift a screw driver any longer to do it himself.

 

He works hard as he can on all these things for another year, until their fifteenth mutation day arrives.

 

That night, he and his brothers decide it might be fun to spend their celebration running wild in the world above. Mikey agrees, because why not? No reason not to, seeing as the caution he might've had if his family lived still has still not reappeared.

 

If he dies, he dies, simple and easy. It's unlikely anyways; his territory is one he knows as well as the lair and tunnels.

 

So up they go, weapons strapped to Mikey's shell and an excited glint in their eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Re-uploading, 06/07/2016, as a multichaptered fic.))


	3. Chapter 3

In an event that has happened across many universes, this night is no different.

Donatello draws their attention to a girl walking with her father nearby, excited to see one so close to their age. He is met with the required groans and ribbing from his elder brothers, picking on him for going so mushy over one girl.

Mikey stays quiet, since no one will hear his brothers, but will definitely hear him.

He's turning to leave, when Donnie raises the alarm as a white van swoops in on the girl and her father. Mikey is hesitant, but he goes towards the scuffle anyways; Donnie's desperation loud in his ears.

He takes the men holding the girl out first, and notices that they all look the same; they go down hard as small blades now stick out of their necks. He ignores the screams of the red head behind him and goes after her father. He's unprepared though; to have strong metal hands grab his ankles and pull him down.

There are too many, and they're robots with lasers to boot. Mikey loses the van after decapitating the five droids that tried to get the girl and him; the white van vanishing with the father too quick for him to chase after.

The girl is still behind him, but only because of a punch of metal to the temple. She's unconscious and bleeding sluggishly from a tear on her forehead.

Mikey crouches next to her body and waffles on what to do. He could take her to the police or maybe the hospital... but then those robots might come back for her. They seemed determined to get her in that car that's for sure.

He asks out loud what he should do. His brothers having already been clamoring this whole time, having offered advice and warnings of incoming punches during the fight. Donnie says they should take her back with them, they can keep her safe. Raph says they should dump her with the cops, they'll handle this.

Leo... Leo agrees with Donnie, much to Raph's annoyance. They should take her home and keep her safe until she wakes up. They'll figure things out after that.

So Mikey picks up the girl and slips back underground, leaving the dead robots far behind them.

 

 

  
She wakes up some hours later, after Mikey has cleaned and applied some small band aids to her head wound.

He's not hiding until he hears her noises of waking disturb the usual silence of the lair. His brothers have retreated for now, giving him space to think.

He ducks into the shadows of the lair as she emerges from his room where he'd lain her down. She's got a bookend, a heavy porcelain horse head, clutched in her hand and hidden behind her back. Her face is showing fear though, and the hand that holds her weapon shakes.

“Hello?” She calls out. “Is anyone there? Where am I?”

“Your safe,” Mikey says from his hiding place, and then smacks himself upside the head. That was the creepiest thing he could have said, and this definitely means he needs to get better movies to learn English from. “I mean, uh, I saved you. From those robots.”

The human girl tightens her hand around the bookend she thinks she has hidden. “Where are you? Show yourself!”

“I'm right here,” Mikey says, no longer throwing his voice to sound like it's far away. Her head whips around to his direction. He makes no move to emerge from his spot though. “No need to shout.”

The girl squares her shoulders and straightens her spine, finding courage in the face of her capture. “I can't see you, so step out where I can see you. Please.” She adds as an afterthought.

Leo is back, and whispering he should be careful about how he proceeds. Mikey knows that, but honestly? He has nothing to lose if the girl sees him. No one would believe her if she told someone anyways.

He comes forwards slowly, making enough noise with his feet to warn her. His weapons lay in their places in his father's old room and his belt is empty save for a twine of rope in case she became violent. He has more than enough skill to take her.

To her credit, the girl only jolts a little when she realizes what she's dealing with. Her eyes narrow and her voice wavers ever so slightly. “What are you?”

Mikey tilts his head slightly as he looks at her. It's fairly obvious, though he supposes it's also not.

“I'm a turtle.”

She gasps a hysterical laugh for moment, the situation too far out the end of weird for her to comprehend fully.

“No, seriously, I’m a turtle. See?” He turns a little and points at his shell.

“Turtles don't walk on two legs,” She says, because that's what she's focusing on.

Mikey shrugs. “I guess not usually, but I’m special.”

Ask her name, Donnie says from behind his back.

“What's your name?”

“...April,” She replies cautiously. “And you are?”

“I'm Michelangelo, nice to meet you,” He smiles ever slightly, nods his head to her. “You feel any better? They hit you pretty hard.”

April touches her forehead with her free hand, brushing the three band aids there. “I'm fine.”

“Good, want any tea?” Mikey asks as he turns to walk to the kitchen. He doesn't hear her following, so he calls back, “You can leave my bookend on the couch, it won't do you any good.”

She follows him then, but keeps the bookend anyways. Oh well, Mikey can't blame her. He wouldn't want to leave his weapons behind either.

She sits at the table only after him prompting, and doesn't drink the tea until Mikey has. Smart girl, Raph admits after watching her from the other side of the kitchen. She's got a good head on her shoulders.

“... Where's my dad?” She asks, hands curling around her warm mug.

Mikey feels guilty for not being able to grab her father; he knows the ache a missing family member brings. “I couldn't get to him in time, I’m sorry.”

Her hands tighten on her mug, her shoulders hunched. “Why not?”

“There were too many robots; I couldn't get through to the van until it was gone.”

“Couldn't you have tried harder?!” She demands.

“I did my best-”

“Your best wasn't enough!” She yells, then bites her lip and casts a fearful glance at Mikey. He's still in charge here, and she has no idea where she is. Pissing him off wouldn't be in her best interest.

Lucky for her, Mikey doesn't care if she screams at him. Grief needs to take its course before anything can be done.

“Do you have anyone else you can go to?” Mikey asks, instead of reprimanding her for yelling. “A mom?”

“My mom's deceased,” April replies, only a little bitterness creeping into her voice. “My dad's all I have. Please, could you find him for me? Or at least point me towards where they took him? I’ll get him back with the help of the police.”

“I don't think the police are gonna be much help here, and they probably wouldn't believe you anyways,” Mikey counters, finishing his tea. “Robots in suits? If you tell them anything about that, they'll pat you on the head and call your immediate family to come and find you. Not to mention, your dad probably isn't going to last long enough even if they believe you.”

“It doesn't matter! I need to get him back, whether you help me or not!”

Donnie is nodding enthusiastically along with April's words, and telling Mikey that they definitely have to help her. Mikey frowns at his brother, who crosses his arms and insists they do this.

He looks to Leo and Raph for support, but Leo seems all for it to play hero and Raph has lost interest in the conversation.

Mikey sighs deeply, some help his brothers are. “Yeah, okay, I’ll help.”

 

 

 

Donatello coaches him through searching for the van's licence plate in the registry, and thus the van. He's got a name and an address to track down. Shouldn't take too long, he already knew the guy. Snake is his street name, and he does low tier runs for gangs he's affiliated with in the area.

After what happened to Donnie... Mikey keeps a close eye on what turf war is going on where.

April isn't happy that he tells her to stay in the lair, but he tells her even if she did leave; there's a high chance the robot suits could find her. And that would be if she found her way out of the tunnels, many of them old and leading nowhere.

She stays behind, but not without making him swear to come back with her dad or not at all. Donnie practically swoons and Mikey bites down on a chuckle as their two elder brothers start to tease him for it.

Finding Snake is easy as anything, since his habits are predictable. He's hanging around a shitty bar not three miles from where the abduction took place; the van sitting out in the dark unattended. Mikey shatters the lock with a well-placed amount of stabbing, and wrenches the doors open.

The inside of the truck is filled with boxes this time, but he can still see the sides that glow with tech. Ignoring Don's excited ramblings about the possibilities of this, Mikey starts pulling open the boxes. Inside are guns like the ones he saw during the fight, ones that shoot light instead of lead. He closes that box and pushes it away, he doesn't like guns much.

Next box holds something that makes him feel more than a little unsettled. Inside are canisters containing brightly glowing sludge, and the canisters themselves match the one set on the kitchen counter back home. The one he'd affectionately called 'Mom' when he was younger, seeing as the goo inside had been what made him and his family.

Donnie, Raph, and Leo get very chaotic behind and beside him; voices escalating as they try to figure out what this means. Mikey takes a canister and adds it to the bag he has slung over his back. It clanks a little against the weapons he has stored inside, but is quiet when he adjusts it again.

There's nothing he can do now until Snake emerges from the bar, so he climbs to the top of the building and lays belly down on the roof.

Snake comes out an hour later according to Mikey's internal clock. He's wobbling only a little as he walks and all alone. Mikey is on him before he knows it, and hauls the man into the alleyway nearby.

It only takes a disarming of his gun and some threats to get Snake to talk. The existence of aliens who kidnap scientists for fun is a surprise, that's for sure. Snake doesn't know the ultimate plan of course, but that's to be expected; low level grunts never do.

Following Leo and Raph's advice, Mikey tells Snake that he's going to drive him to the Kraang base. Or else isn't said, but it's obvious. Snake agrees as he eyes the visible weapons on the turtle in front of him, and lets Mikey walk him back to the van.

Snake starts to cuss at Mikey for the back of his van, but a quick flash of his nun-chucks shuts him up.

The base is far outside of Mikey's territory, but if things go sour he knows how to get back. They drive in silence, Mikey playing with a small blade between his six fingers as an open threat of what happens if Snake decides to get smart.

He tries of course, once they're inside the gates. Mikey had hidden inside the back while they drove in, and Snake makes a break for it. Mikey lets him, seeing as he's not much help now that they're on the grounds of his enemies.

When the back opens up and Mikey sees the Kraang droids, he uses a can of ooze mixed with an explosive to drive them back after he lobs it at them. The resulting explosion is more than enough to destroy the droids, metal and shredded suits flying everywhere.

He jumps out and over the highly toxic mess he's made, and breaks for the building. He sees Snake cowering some distance away, and ignores him. They know he's here so he's short on time, and he can take care of Snake later if he feels like it.

He gets inside the building by slipping under a closing shutter door. Inside, he's in luck when there are only two droids to meet him. His nun-chucks break their necks and he disappears into the vents above.

The complex is huge, alien, and crawling with droids. Some of them are missing their human skins, and Mikey takes a moment to be absolutely grossed out by the brains inside their stomachs.

Leo's calm mantra of keeping out of sight and Donnie's worry about the girl's father get him moving again. He searches until he finds what he thinks are holding cells, twenty lining the corridor. Inside are people he thinks are the missing scientists. April's father is in one of them, curled against the wall. Mikey ignores Donnie's ideas of breaking in via rewiring it and just stabs it like Raph suggests.

The door's security shuts down and the door opens. April's dad, Kirby she'd said, huddles in on himself in fear of Mikey. He rolls his eyes; humans.

“I'm here to get you out, so chill,” He says as he enters the cell. He pulls Kirby up by the arm. “Your daughter sent me, and we gotta go before they find me again.”

Alarms have been going off since Mikey entered the building, and the sound of metal feet are getting ominously closer. So despite Kirby's protests, he hauls the man out of his cell and into the hall.

A quick distraction tactic suggested by Leo, and Mikey starts stabbing every panel he can his hands on. The lights on the cells go ballistic and open one by one with a hiss. The sirens sounding reach a new noise level that joins the screams of the humans making a run for it.

They're noise attracts the attention of the incoming robots while Mikey and Kirby making a run for a different exit. By some miracle, they make it to edge of the complex again and Mikey can shatter a window for them to jump out of.

It's a twenty foot drop, but Mikey lands nimbly with his human charge in his arms. The sprint for the van back at the front of the compound is hailed with gun shots and the sounds of heavy machinery coming to life on top of the building.

The droids that had been investigating the van after Mikey's explosion are few, most inside trying corral their humans again. The two left over are dispatched with two shurikans to the stomach. The droids go down into a puddle of growing sludge, which he assumes is their blood.

He shoves Kirby inside the van and clambers in himself. He has no real idea how to drive, but somehow he gets them out. Lasers skirt the back of the van and almost hit the wheels, but Mikey's not quite on purpose erratic driving avoids them.

They get clear, and he keeps it floored all the way back to his territory; aware that there's a chopper following.

Soon as he can, he ditches the van and ducks into the sewers with his human. Kirby is a mess of stuttered sentences and muffled screams, but Mikey ignores him. April can calm him down herself; he's just supposed to get him home in one piece.

It's an arduous task, dragging a resistant human back to his home. He blind folds Kirby and just slings him over his shoulders, and holds him tight the whole trek. He's not happy about it but tough, Mikey doesn't like this either.

When he finally gets home, his brothers are already clustered around April on the couch; she obviously hasn't noticed them, but Mikey's a little annoyed they poofed off to hang with the human girl when he was in mortal peril.

She distractedly was watching one of his crappy movies when they entered, and Kirby's muffled flails draw her attention. At first she's relieved he's alive, then mad at Mikey for treating him so roughly, then crying as she says thank you over and over and holds her dad close.

Something in Mikey's chest pangs sharp and hot watching them reunite, and he clenches his fists. Let them be happy, let them be together, he tells himself. At least someone gets to be with their family again.

“Thank you so much, for all of this,” April says to him, not scared any longer of what he is. “Could you maybe take us home now? Please?”

Mikey is tired, and actually wants the silence of his home again; free of humans, so he says that he will. They let him blind fold them both and lead them from the lair. He takes them in a few circles just in case before he brings them to a man hole. He helps them out, and escorts them to their home. It's three in the morning and no one is out and wandering excepting them.

When he gets to their apartment with them, he bows and tells them goodbye. April grabs his arm though, stopping him.

“Are we going to see you again?” She asks.

With his three ghostly brothers clustered around him, Mikey turns to face her again and shakes his head. “It's a not a good idea.”

“Please? You saved us, and I want to know more about you,” April pleads. “And those robots, they could come back! Could you keep an eye out just in case? We could pay you to be our body guard!”

“I don't need money,” Mikey says, thinking of all the items in his home pilfered from garbage heaps. No need to pay when everything is free. “But... I could use a source of fresh fruits and veggies. I’ll keep an eye on your area if you give me groceries once a week.”

“Deal!” April says, ignoring her father's concerns about the green creature. “Come back tomorrow night, to that window-,” She points at a floor near the top, the window on the fire escape's path. “-and we'll have plenty of food for you then.”

Mikey nods. “Sounds good to me. And no telling anyone about this, alright? I need to stay a secret.”

“Our lips are sealed,” April replies, miming zipping her lips closed.

Mikey lets a small smile slip out, before he turns and jogs to the nearest building. He dissolves into the shadows, out of sight of the two humans. He keeps an eye on them until they're safely inside and he can see the lights go on in their home.

He stays for the rest of them night, crouched like a gargoyle on the building beside theirs. It's a precaution, because even if they got away tonight, it's likely the bots will indeed return to try again.

Only when the sun has appeared just beneath the horizon, does he return to the underground. He aches where the metal fists and limbs met his arms and plastron, and laser burns sting up and down his body. His brothers are as silent as he is, as they get home.

He washes the grime off quickly, bandages what needs attention, and finally collapses on his bed. His weapons and the strange ooze are left on the counters of his kitchen. He'll take care of them later.

Tomorrow night will be here soon, and he needs to be on top of his game in case April has a nasty trap waiting for him instead of food.

He wants to trust her, the small and young part of him still preserved near his heart longs for company beyond just his transparent kin. But he needs to be cautious, always cautious, because he's alone now; and anything could be what finally gets him.


	4. Chapter 4

 

Mikey wakes up, twelve hours after coming home.

 

His arms and legs ache like nothing else and his head feels stuffed with cotton.

 

He smacks his tongue against his lips; the taste of un-brushed teeth is all over his mouth. He pulls himself from his warm covers to go and find a tooth brush and food. His stomach is rumbling and for once, he has an appetite.

 

Instant oatmeal mix and a bruised apple disappear into his mouth as he talks strategy his brothers. There are risks to going back to April's, but there are more benefits. Fresh food that he doesn't have to steal and a maybe ally, perhaps even friend.

 

Donnie is excited to see her again; he wants to know everything about her. Raph reminds him that she can't see them, and there's no reason for some human girl would want to be friends with a mutant; let alone one with schizophrenia.

 

“It's only maybe schizophrenia,” Mikey rebukes. Maybe is enough though, Raph shoots back. Leo tells them to knock it off, to which Donnie adds that it's already evening; they should really get going now.

 

Mikey does a quick stock of his weapons before leaving. He has his main weapon, nun-chaku, but his stock of kunai and shurikan have been depleted after last evening’s adventure. The five small knives he had are now three small knives, and the stock of makeshift explosives need to the replenished.

 

He has been avoiding trying smithery for a while now, but he'll have to soon if he wants to keep his weapons stash filled.

 

He takes his knives, nun-chucks, and a couple smoke bombs with him. If the two humans waiting for him have any traps, it's unlikely they'll be able to do anything to stop him from escaping. Nothing short of a bullet will stop him, and they'd have to actually hit him for that to work.

 

The exercise of leaping across town pulls on his still healing cuts and burns, but they're almost gone now thanks to his accelerated immune system. He and Donnie had done an experiment while he was still alive with their blood; and discovering that their cells were hyper regenerative was a pleasant surprise. It made the likely hood of dying slimmer.

 

Not that it had done much for his genius brother, or Leo, or Raph.

 

Mikey lands silently on the same building from that morning. He surveys the area, noting the lights are on in April's window. Show time then.

 

He makes the jumps across and grasps the railing to stop him from falling. He drops down a level to be in front of April's window. The curtains are open slightly, and he can see her sitting on her bed fussing with her phone.

 

No guns in sight, or bookends this time, and she doesn't look like she has anyone else in the room. He raps softly on the pane of glass with his fist. She starts, almost dropping her phone, then catches sight of his green form outside.

 

She drops her phone on the bed and goes to open the window. “Hey there, didn't think you were gonna show up.”

 

Mikey shrugs. “I said I would, so here I am.”

 

“Here you are,” She steps back and waves a hand at her room. “Would you like to come in? The groceries are in the kitchen.”

 

Donnie says yes breathlessly, while Raph and Leo urge him to be cautious. Mikey nods, swings into the room and drops his bandage wrapped feet onto the room's soft carpet.

 

“My dad's still sleeping, but I could wake him up you'd like?” April says as she leads him out of her room and into the hallway. “He's really shaken up by what happened last night, so he's been out all day.”

 

“No, it's fine,” Mikey says. Talking to a human girl is mostly okay, but talking to her and her father at the same time makes him feel uncomfortable. He's not used to talking to anyone other than himself technically.

 

“Here we are,” April says as they enter the kitchen. It's mostly stainless steel, with dark granite counter tops. She opens the large fridge and pulls out two bags filled with food items. “We got you salad and tomatoes and a whole bunch of fruits. What do you think?” She places them on the counter and steps away for him to look inside.

 

Mikey can smell the fresh greens and sweetly fermented fruits already. He tugs open the first bag, which contains a lot of lettuce, carrots, and green beans. The second bag holds tomatoes, apples, oranges.

 

“I looked up what foods would be safe for a turtle,” April explains, pulling a pair of cups from a cupboard. “I hope you can eat all those things. You can, right?”

 

“Yeah, yeah I can,” Mikey says as he ties the bags back up. He's actually kind of touched that she bothered to check if he could eat the food before buying it. “Thanks for making sure. I, uh, appreciate it.”

 

“No problem,” April says with a smile. She holds up the glasses. “I have juice in the fridge, if you want to stay and talk.”

 

Mikey, despite his deep run sense of cautious and suspicion of humans... is lonely. He wants to stay, and he wants to talk. He wants to connect with someone other than his three invisible brothers lounging on the counters and chairs around them.

 

So he does.

 

Once the juice is poured, they sit at the table nestled in front of a large window. April is chatty, and not at all put off by him being a mutant. It's bizarre and sort of suspicious, but Mikey talks to his dead brothers; he might as well accept this too.

 

They sit and talk for as long as it takes to finish the whole litre of juice. She asks him questions about what he is, where he came from, and why he stepped in to save her.

 

He answers each one; he's a mutant turtle turned by ooze from space. He came from a pet shop, but now he lives underground. He stepped in because his brother would have wanted him to.

 

“Who's your brother? I didn't see anyone else in your home.”

 

“Donatello,” Mikey says, staring at the bottom of his glass. “He's not around anymore.”

 

April wisely drops the subject.

 

He asks her what school is like, since he's only ever had television to go by. She tells him it's annoying and full of difficulties and not nearly as much romance drama as TV says it has.

 

“I've been in high school for almost a whole semester now, and I haven't had one boyfriend the whole time,” April grouses.

 

“If it makes you feel any better, neither have I,” Mikey says.

 

April nearly chokes on her drink as she laughs. It startles a laugh out of him, half not believing that he's just made a joke.

 

“Sorry, sorry, I just wasn't expecting that,” April coughs, still giggling in between. “You're just so serious usually, it startled me.”

 

It startled him too, honestly. “I can make jokes when I want to, I just don't much.”

 

It wasn't always like that, Raph says softly from behind him. Mikey doesn't acknowledge his comment.

 

“Okay let me tell one,” April puts down her glass and leans forwards. “Where does the king keep his armies?”

 

Donnie's quoting off facts about the Middle Ages behind him, which probably have nothing to do with the joke, but he appreciates the gesture. “I dunno, where did he keep his armies?”

 

“In his  _sleevies_ ,” April cackles.

 

Okay, that was pretty good, Raph chuckles. Mikey is chuckling too, a genuine grin splitting his face. He's having fun now. “My turn. What mouse walks on two legs?”

 

“Uuuum...” April taps her fingers as she thinks. Then smacks them down on the table in triumph. “Mickey mouse, right?”

 

“Yup! Now what duck walks on two legs?”

 

“Donald duck!”

 

“Wrong!” Mikey says, grin getting bigger. “All ducks walk on two legs!”

 

“Oh my god-” April buries her face in her hands, laughing loudly. “I can't believe I fell for that!”

 

They trade off more jokes, knock knocks and riddles, until they're both breathlessly laughing. Mikey's sides hurt, but in a good way they haven't hurt in forever. His brothers are laughing too, having joined in by telling Mikey what jokes to tell.

 

Mikey feels lighter, Mikey feels younger, Mikey feels  _happy_.

 

He doesn't remember the last time he felt this good, this alive.

 

It can't last though, what with it being a school night and the juice being gone. April is tired still, despite her enthusiasm for talking still. He can see it in the dark bags underneath her eyes, and the slight slouch to her shoulders.

 

He's tired out too, even if his body is already almost healed. This much interaction, good feeling or not, is waning his strength. He needs to recuperate in the safety of his home.

 

“I should go,” He says reluctantly.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” April agrees, checking the time on the stove. It's creeping past ten now. “I have to go back to school tomorrow whether I like or not, an unexplained absence isn't allowed more than once a month at my school.”

 

Mikey nods, gets up and takes his cup to the sink. April drops the empty juice jug into the recycling and then her cup to the sink as well. He picks up his plastic bags of goods, following April out.

 

She takes him back to her bedroom, and thus the window he entered from. As he climbs back out, she asks him, “When will you come back? For more groceries I mean. Or to, you know say hi or whatever.”

 

Don't get comfortable, Raph warns. She's still a human, and not trust worthy.

 

Yet, Donatello interjects. Not trust worthy  _yet._

 

“...How does two days from now sound? I’ll drop by at nine to check up on you guys,” Mikey offers.

 

“That sounds great to me,” April says. “Have a good night.”

 

“You too,” Mikey replies as he climbs up the stair case. It's going to be a trick to get the groceries home un-smushed, but he figures if he can single handedly storm an alien fortress, and live, he can do this.

 

He does it, and only squishes the tomatoes a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He tries smithing the next day, and gets a harsh burn along his left hand for it.

 

The unnaturally raised scales of his hand are a long brand, longer than his fingers. It burns and stings worse than the lasers from before, and makes it very hard to treat. The white hot metal rod he'd been working with is left on the stone floor where it landed.

 

He still has medicine from the last gifts Splinter gave him, and treats the burn according to the stained copy of first aid Donnie owned. Some polysporn and bandages later, and some pain killers, Mikey puts out the mini forge Splinter had built when they moved in.

 

He's not going to get anything done with a bum hand, no matter how determined he is.

 

Instead he breaks for lunch, an indulgent salad with diced tomatoes, and starts discussing the April Situation with his brothers.

 

Getting close is tempting, so very tempting, but there's still danger surrounding her. The Kraang, what did they want her and her father for; a question they have no answers to. If he gets close to her he runs risk of being caught up and killed.

 

Thought you didn't have any self-preservation skills, Raph says.

 

“Sometimes I do, and this is one of those times. I don't wanna end up on a dissection table for aliens yo,” Mikey says, crunching on his salad. “Not an ideal way to go according to horror movies.”

 

I think you mean sci-fi, Leo comments.

 

Off topic right now, are we going to be friends with her or not? Donnie asks.

 

Good question. “Maybe we should do a test run, just let it be for however long it lasts? I mean, maybe the Kraang won't try for her again and they won't need a bodyguard anymore. Then they'll ask me to leave and we go our separate ways.”

 

A good enough plan and they all agree on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikey go into the lab to take a look at the ooze he’d grabbed before.

 

He’d set it out on the center table of the room, where it’s been giving off an eerie glow ever since. With Donatello’s help, he starts to run the substance through some tests.

 

Using some slides of his own blood, he compares his DNA’s mutations to the ooze. It’s a near perfect match, the genetic makeup lining up almost exactly.

 

Now the question is what he’s going to do with the three gallons of space ooze.

Nothing, he’s going to do nothing with it.

 

He could create a bomb with it, mixing it with projectile weapons so that when they hit people the ooze would explode in a five foot radius. It’s too dangerous though, since there would be a chance of him getting caught in the range.

 

Double mutation might sound cool in theory, but according to Donnie’s expertise, there’s the possibility his mind would turn to mush in the process. Yeah, no thanks. Mikey tucks the dangerous substance against the wall on the counter by the fridge.

 

The idea of the new weapons, and their destructive possibilities, isn’t enough to tempt him into that sort of risky venture.

 

Next on the agenda is getting more information on the Kraang, and getting back at Snake for his betrayal. Not that Mikey hadn’t expected it of the man, but it’s the principal of the thing.

 

Unfortunately for him, and fortunate for Snake, it looks like the human has skipped town. Or is dead. Either or could be the answer.

 

He’d tracked down Snakes home, a cockroach infested apartment complex, and found it empty. Literally empty, with all the furniture missing excluding a sad broken chair. Closets and cupboards are empty too, not a crumb left.

 

Everything of Snake’s presence is wiped from the apartment. Mikey almost kicks the wall in frustration when he finds the broken door lock. Definitely the Kraang then, taking care of a loose end human that failed them.

 

Raph swears a couple paragraphs worth, something Mikey nods along with. They’ve lost their only known connection to the Kraang, and going back to the compound isn’t an option; not unless he feels like being captured. Lightening doesn’t strike twice, and Mikey isn’t one to try his luck like that.

 

“Fuck is right, Raph,” Mikey mumbles as he leaves through a cracked window.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Starting a friendship with April turns out to be easier than smithing at least.

 

She’s a cheerful person, and is always happy to see him for some reason. Most times she’ll talk him into her house for a snack and drinks, and eventually movies and popcorn.

 

Kirby is skittish of him, staying away whenever Michelangelo comes over. But he’s more grateful that he and his daughter are alive than he is scared, so he’s not outright rude to the mutant that shows up at his daughter’s window.

 

Mikey will take that for what it is. It’s better than the human purchasing a gun or calling the government or something.

 

Mikey is skittish too, but for a different reason. He’s rapidly becoming attached to April, and feeling more and more comfortable every time he sees her. It’s not good for him, since the closer he becomes with her, the more it’ll hurt when she has to leave him.

 

It doesn’t stop him from spending long hours talking with her or watching movies on weekends. Even his brothers have warmed up; or rather Donatello has fallen head over heels and their older brothers enjoy her company. Which is bad, because if they all think April is great, then they’re really screwed. They rarely agree on anything, let alone something, or someone, like this.

 

It scares him almost as much as being alone again would.

 

One night, just before they hit the second month mark of their friendship, April asks him if they can move their next movie night to another.

 

“I have a classmate I have help study, and he can’t do it any other night,” April explains apologetically.

 

Donnie makes something close to a hiss from beside April. Yeah, Mikey kinda agrees with that statement. Sounds a lot like a scene from one of his crappy movies. But hey, he’s not in charge of her life, and he’s just glad to spend what time she can with him. Donnie can suck it up. So he agrees to move the hang out to the day after instead, since it’s not like he’s doing anything else. Other than repeatedly burning himself as he attempts to turn metal chunks into throwing stars.

 

Yeah, he hasn’t made a lot of progress on that yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The night April and her study friend meet up at her apartment is conveniently the time Mikey is in the neighborhood.

 

He patrols the blocks around April’s place more than the rest of his territory now days, and its pure coincidence he’s there.

 

Seeing as the neighborhood is not the nicest after dark and that he’s her body guard, he follows them. Just in case of Kraang attack, or if the teenage boy she’s with gets frisky with her.

 

This is really creepy, Raph comments as they leap across a gap; following the progression of the teens below.

 

It’s not creepy, Donnie argues, we’re just checking up on her. That’s our job.

 

“Nah, it’s totally creepy,” Mikey says, agreeing with Raph. “We really shouldn’t be doing this.”

 

And yet here we are, Leo says, sounding resigned.

 

Mikey drops onto the next building in a roll, and stops at the edge. April and her friend have stopped at a park nearby and are sitting down on the swings. Good, Mikey has a great vantage point from here of the whole area.

 

He settles down to watch them.

 

He tries, but his attention drifts anyways. Sitting still for so long is arduous if he can’t escape even a little. So he starts counting off the current ninjutsu techniques he’s been working on and new ideas for smithing. Most of the ideas are about finding gloves, and an apron. He’s tired of having to treat burns on his fingers.

 

His attention is drawn back down to the ground when he catches a snippet of the conversation on the wind.  _“Who wants to live a normal life anyways?”_  says the guy below. Mikey huffs softly, he’d give almost anything to live a normal life. Ninjutsu is awesome, and so is being a mutant, but it’s much less so alone.

 

Right then, three white vans swing around a corner towards the park. Uh oh. Mikey is already on his feet and dropping down when Kraang droids start pouring out of the vehicles. He counts fifteen as he pulls three smoke bombs from his belt.

 

The purple fog covers him as he ducks into the fray, taking out five droids as he rushes to the center where April is. She and the guy are actually doing pretty okay for humans. The boy is grappling with a robot suit for the gun in its hand; his legs are locked around the robot’s neck and squeezing as he pulls at the arms. Not a bad tactic, but ineffective against a robot.

 

Mikey cracks the back of the robot’s skull open with his nun-chucks as he goes by, heading for April; she’s dodging the grabbing hands of the three on her and hitting them with her thick text book. Mikey uses his last three knives to short out the neck line nerves. They drop to the ground with clangs.

 

“Mikey, thank goodness!” April exclaims.

 

“April!!” The other guy shouts as he tries to tackle Mikey. “Get away from her you freaks!”

 

“Casey! Stop it!” April yells.

 

“Yeah dude, so not the time,” Mikey says. He grabs the skinny, yet strong, arms that have wrapped around his neck and holds them there. Then he grabs April’s hand and they start booking it, Casey cussing and flailing the whole way.

 

The robots are free of the smoke now and are shooting at them all, pink lights burning the ground where they miss. Mikey runs, dragging his humans along, to a nearby alley. He drops Casey for a moment to kick down a door, and then shoves both humans inside. He drops another few smoke bombs to fill the whole area, then ducks inside himself.

 

He grabs Casey’s mouth before he makes any noise, and holds the door shut with his back. He and April press against the wall, waiting for the sound of pursuit to vanish. He hears footsteps run by and monotone voices communicating. They wane until it’s silent again.

 

That’s when Casey bites Mikey’s hand, right on a burn too, which makes him yelp and release the human. Casey scrambles away and into a defensive position.

 

His bandana is skewed, but his eyes are determined. “What the hell are you?!”

 

“Casey, quit it!” April admonishes.

 

“What the fuck is going on red, who is this guy?”

 

“He’s my friend, and his name is Michelangelo. So chill out, please,” April crosses her arms and frowns at Casey until he drops his fists. “He just saved us both from the Kraang, you should show a little bit of gratitude. And Mikey, not that I’m not grateful too, but I’d like to know why you were there so quickly.”

 

Busted, Raphael says unhelpfully from behind Casey.

 

With April’s frown turn on him, Mikey starts to feel a little hot in the shell. He tries to inch away from her. “I was just in the neighborhood is all…”

 

April narrows her eyes. “Just because we’re paying you to keep us safe, does not mean you stalk me where ever I go.”

 

“I wasn’t stalking you, I swear,” Mikey says, defending himself.

 

We we’re though, Leo says.

 

“Not helping!” Mikey hisses under his breath.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Nothing! Just saying we should get out of here quick, before those Kraang come back!” Mikey says hastily. He opens the door and pokes his head out, coast is all clear. “We can talk later when we’re in a secure place. Ready to go?”

 

“We are definitely talking later, Mikey,” April says as she exits the building.

 

“I want an explanation for everything that just happened, seriously,” Casey says as he waltzes past. Mikey rolls his eyes,  _humans_.

 

There’s a man hole just a few steps away, and Mikey pries it open easily. He holds the lid until both humans have dropped down, and then follows; covering the hole back up quietly as possible.

 

“Man, this fucking stinks,” Casey complains, holding his nose.

 

“You don’t exactly smell like pansies either,” Mikey says, relaying Donnie’s comment.

 

“Quit it both of you, we need to get out of here,” April says, stepping between them. She screws up her face in disgust when she steps in something and it squelches. “Please Mikey; it is pretty gross down here.”

 

Mikey shrugs, they’ve got a point there. He leads the through a couple twists and turns before they get to an opening that will be right next to April’s place.

 

Just as he’s about to open the cover, he hears wheels screaming to a stop above them. Doors slamming and monotone voices indicate exactly who’s about to break into April’s home. Well shit, that’s not good.

 

“Kraang are right above us,” Mikey whispers, climbing back down the ladder.

 

“What?!” April gasps. “Oh god, thank goodness my dad is out of town for the night. He got called for a conference with some scientist buddies at work.”

 

“Lucky break for him then,” Mikey agrees. “It’s not safe to go home; you’ll have to come back to the lair.”

 

“You have a  _lair_? Holy shit!” Casey excitedly whispers. “Let me come with; you’ll need the extra protection of Casey Jones, April and green dude.”

 

Mikey is honestly done with this kid, but he’s right. Not about them needing protection, but that he has to come with them. The Kraang have seen his face, and he can’t be out on the streets tonight.

 

Mikey cusses quietly in Japanese. “Yeah, you can both come. But you’re getting blind folded until we get there, Casey.”

 

“Sweet!” Casey half shouts, pumping his arms. Why he is so enthusiastic to be in this situation, Mikey doesn’t want to know.

 

Mikey tugs Casey bandana over his eyes and ties it tight, and then they’re off. It’s a trek, and once or twice Casey almost stumbles into unmentionables, but they make it mostly okay.

 

As they approach the lair, April puts a hand on Mikey’s shoulder. He turns to look at her and she smiles. “Thanks for trusting me enough to show me how to get here, it means a lot.”

 

Mikey shrugs. “You’re my friend, I trust you.”

 

A dangerous thing, Leo says as they enter through the turnstiles. Mikey has to agree, trust is a very dangerous thing; especially when it’s broken.

 

Casey rams his gut into a turnstile before Mikey can stop him, and Donnie cackles as the human loses his breath. Casey rips off his blindfold and takes in the lair’s high ceilings and wide floors. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open. “Hoooooooly shit!!”

 

“Welcome to mi casa guys,” Mikey says sweeping a hand at the surroundings. “It’s not much, but it’s home. I’ll start dinner; you two can watch a movie or something I guess.”

 

“Hell yeah!” Casey yells as he breaks for the couch/television.

 

April sighs and follows along with Mikey at a slower pace. “Thanks again for putting us up for the night.”

 

“No problem, just keep an eye on Metal-Head McNoodle here,” Mikey replies, gesturing at Casey happily shuffling through the stacks of VHS tapes.

 

“Will do,” April grins, before sitting down on the couch. “You want any help with dinner?”

 

“No, I’m good, thanks though,” Mikey says as he heads for the kitchen.

 

Mikey pulls his half a dozen eggs from the fridge plus vegetables, and starts at making some omelettes and apple slices. He’s good at making food, always has been, so the omelettes are done soon after he starts.

 

As he dishes them out onto three plates, he hears shouting between April and Casey nearby. He puts down the pan on an unused burner and pokes his head out to investigate. He can’t see them anywhere in the main room, the TV on, but muted. He looks around, searching where they’d gone. That’s when he notices a door open, the sliding door into the burial room.

 

Mikey flies across the floor and into the sacred room, where he finds April telling Casey to put down  _Leo’s sword that’s his brother’s PUT IT DOWN-_

 

Mikey has Casey on the floor before he can blink, and the sword out of the human’s grasp. Mikey can’t breathe, and he can feel himself shaking as he presses down on Casey's neck. April is pulling on the edge of his shell, but he can’t hear what she’s saying. Everything sounds like it’s underwater.

 

Mikey sees a flash of green and then small Leo is front of his eyes, looking as sick as the day he died. Pale and scrawny, Leo’s tired blue eyes lock with his own and  _he can’t breathe why can’t he breathe what’s happening-_

 

“-ikey!!  _MIKEY!!”_  April is yelling at him, and he lets her pull him off of Casey’s chest. Little Leo has disappeared now, as well as his other two brothers.

 

Mikey pushes himself away from both of the humans, clutching Leo’s sword and breathing heavily. He doesn’t meet either of their gazes, but he can feel the weight of them. He curls in on himself. “… sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

 

“What the fuck,” Casey says quietly, rubbing his jugular. Then, as he regains his bravado, “What the fuck?!”

 

Mikey hunches in on himself further, pulling the sword into his lap. He stares at the blue fabric wrapped around the hilt.

 

“You shouldn’t have touched it, Casey,” April says softly. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

 

“Aren’t you going to say anything to him?! He jumped me!”

 

“After you went into a room without permission and started touching his stuff!”

 

“It’s not mine,” Mikey interjects, the other falling silent. He rubs the hilt between his fingers. “It’s my brother’s.”

 

“Donatello’s?” April asks.

 

“No, Leonardo’s,” Mikey corrects. He stands up, forcing his legs to cooperate. He picks up the sheath Casey had left carelessly lying on the floor and sheathes the katana slowly. “It was supposed to be Leo’s, not Don’s.”

 

“Where’s your brother now?” Casey asks, getting up off the floor. “I haven’t seen anyone else here.”

 

Mikey looks over at the burial tree and the ground surrounding it, the three mounds there standing out. “He’s there.”

 

Casey pales. “Oh man, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikey says tonelessly as he places the katana back beside its twin. “Me too.”

 

April shuffles her feet, clutching her sides as she looks at the three mounds in the dirt and then the mounted weapons. “You never said you had any other brothers besides Donatello.”

 

“It’s not something I like to talk about,” Mikey says. He turns and walks towards the door, ignoring their looks. He pauses in the thresh hold without turning back. “If you want dinner, it's on the table and getting cold.”

 

He doesn't have any appetite anymore, so he goes into his room instead; April and Casey can sleep on the stone floor for all he cares. He tugs free the covers of his bed and drags them onto the floor with him. He brings his knees to his plastron and lays his head on them; the blanket covering his shell and head. He's slumped against his bed frame and the wall both.

 

He feels tired, like he's been wrung out. His head hurts almost as much as his heart does.

 

He doesn't cry, but it's a close call.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikey doesn't remember falling asleep, but he does.

 

In his dreams, he's small again. His brothers are alive and his father is too. They're darting around a tunnel Mikey remembers staying one summer in, it had clean water running through it and sunlight pouring through grates above.

 

It's one of the best places they ever lived. The whole summer was warm and peaceful, a local Farmer's Market had a huge amount of left overs they could eat and the water was safe to drink.

 

Mikey stumbles in his game of tag with his brothers, and slips into the shallow stream of water. Leo stops to pull him up, but gets tackled from behind by Raph. A splash fight ensues, and they make teams between the four of them. Donnie and Mikey do their best to douse their older brothers in as much water as they can, Mikey's energy being put to good use in their two turtle war.

 

Then, and Mikey remembers this too, Raphael slips also in the stream and falls more awkwardly than Mikey did. Mikey's brother is groaning in pain, so the play fighting stops. Mikey trots over and taps Raph on the shoulder, asking what he's hurt.

 

_“My shell,”_  Raph hisses, teeth clenched.

 

Mikey goes to look at his brother shell and finds-

 

_-red, red, so much red coming from a massive crack across his shell-_

 

-Mikey jumps away, but blood has already gotten all over his hands and feet. Mikey turns to call for help from his brothers but-

 

_-Leo lays still and frost covered on the side of the stream, eyes shut half ways and staring into oblivion-_

_-Donnie is bleeding the same red as Raph and it's gushing from the gun shot in his side, filling the stream as it turns bright crimson-_

_(“Mikey?”)_

Mikey can't even scream, he just stumbles out of the of the water and away from his dead brothers. He back peddles until he hits something. He turns and looks upwards and-

 

_-It's his father, stomach sliced across and dripping blood onto Mikey's face-_

 

_(“Mikey!”)_

 

-Mikey's own blood roars in ears, everything too bright and loud and-

“Mikey!!”

 

-Mikey wakes up, someone shaking him by the shoulders. He blinks, his eyes filled with sleep seed and vision blurry. The figure knelt in front of him solidifies into April, Casey hanging back at the door to his room.

 

“Are you okay, Mikey? You were having a nightmare,” April says, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly.

 

Mikey's blanket has slid off his head now, and he feels the loss of warmth. He rubs his eyes, trying to banish the remnants of the dream. “Yeah, sorry, just a bad dream.”

 

“It looked like one,” April agrees. She let's go of him and leans back into easier position, outside of his bubble of space. “Sorry, we just wanted to come and check on you. Casey has some things to say.”

 

Casey nods, one arm rubbing the other nervously. “Yeah I do, it wasn't cool what I did and I’m really sorry for it. I don't have any excuse other than sometimes I do before I think. I can't stress enough how sorry I am.”

 

Mikey tightens his blanket around his shoulders. He feels raw still, the episode earlier fresh in his mind. But, Casey is sorry, and he's apologized. And neither of them knew. So he guesses he can forgive them.

 

“Thanks for the apology,” Mikey mumbles. He rubs his face tiredly. “You didn't mean for what happened to happen. I should have warned you not to go in there in the first place.”

 

“I shouldn't have gone in there anyways, this isn't my home,” Casey insists. “Casey Jones knows when he's made a mistake and he owns up to it.”

 

Mikey smiles a little, Casey seems to talk a lot in third person. “We both learned something I guess.”

 

“So are you alright now?” April asks, examining Mikey worriedly.

 

“Alright as I can be,” Mikey replies with a sad smile. “What time is it? Either of you eat yet?”

 

“It's close to midnight, and we did, thank you for the food,” April says.

 

Mikey nods, and starts to stand up. His legs cramped up while he was curled up anyways, he needs to stretch and heading to make tea is as good excuse as any. “Why don't we go back to the kitchen, we can have tea while I tell you some things.”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

So he tells them both, forcing the words to come out of his mouth.

He tells them about how one by one, his family died off until he was alone. How he's lived for the last two years in solitude. He tells them who his brothers were, what they were like, and how much he misses them.

 

It's hard, and it pulls on deep hurts inside of him, but he gets it out into the air.

 

When he's done, Mikey is staring very hard at the bottom of his mug. April has started crying and Casey has a tight grip on the edge of the table.

 

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Casey eventually manages. Mikey nods a thank you, sipping his tea.

 

“You've lived here all  _alone_ , for  _two years_ ,” April says, wiping at her eyes. “I can't imagine-oh god, Mikey. I’m so sorry.”

 

Mikey's spent all the words he has for the night, and nods numbly again. When April gets up from her stool to come and hug him, he lets her. He's touch starved, and he cares about April. In the wake of this night's events, a hug is exactly what he needs.

 

Some of April's tears drop onto his collar bone, sliding into the place his skin joins to his plastron. He rubs a three fingered hand up and down her back until she lets go. She rubs her thumb across the bags under his eyes, tender as her hug.

 

“I understand,” She says, blue eyes still teary. “I lost my mom when I was a little girl, and I know how much it hurts.”

 

“Me too,” Casey says, his eyes sad as April's. “I lost my mom too. A few years ago she got sick, and never got better. So I-I get it.”

 

Mikey turns the edges of his lips upwards. “I've had a long time to get used to it, don't worry about me.”

 

“I lost my mom forever ago, Mikey. I know you can't get used to that,” April says, dropping her hand to Mikey's shoulder and rubbing it. “It hurts and never stops.”

 

Mikey thinks about how every day he's spent since each one of his brothers left him; how the ache inside his heart didn't cease for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

It's late, crazy late, and they still have to get up tomorrow to figure out what to do about the Kraang knowing where April lives. So Mikey puts the mugs into the sink on top of the plates from dinner and takes the two humans out of the kitchen.

 

He pulls out blankets and pillows, for him and Casey. April gets to sleep in his room while the two guys sleep on the large couch. April hugs him one last time before going into his room for the night. Mikey hands the better pillow to Casey and starts making up his bed on one side of the couch.

 

“Hey Mikey?” Casey says as Mikey finishes his mess of a bed. Mikey turns only to be met with a bear hug from Casey, who wraps his gangly arms as tight as he can around Mikey. He's not sure what brought this on, but he returns the hug. Casey starts talking quietly beside Mikey's ear, which clears up a lot. “I'm not good with emotional stuff so I’m gonna say this fast. I’m sorry all the mean stuff I said to you today, that was a really dick thing for me to do. And I’m sorry I touched your brother's stuff, majorly uncool on my part. I just want you to know that April an' me are gonna be there for you from now on, kay?”

 

Mikey opens his mouth to say they don't need to be, but shuts it. He's got two people trying hard to be his friends and his support system; why would he ever push them away? His eyes burn as he tightens his grip around Casey, and he manages a weak,  _“Thanks”_  in Japanese.

 

Casey lets go and coughs, feeling very awkward after showing so much affection all at once. He pats Mikey on the shoulder to sum it up before heading for his side of the couch.

 

Mikey shakes his head, embarrassed for both of them, and climbs into his own nest. He sleeps soundly despite Casey sawing very loud logs right across from him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though the process was messy and awful, the confrontation brings Mikey closer to April and adds Casey his friend group.

 

The morning after, when he delivers them safely to the surface once more, April gives him a tight hug before leaving; telling him to drop by that night for dinner. Casey is decidedly less emotional, but the punch to the shoulder and genuine smile is enough to convey what the human means.

 

Casey reminds him an awful lot of Raph in that sense.

 

Mikey only brought them back to their homes because he's assured now that the Kraang will only attack at night. Meaning he just has to be lurking around above when it's dark, and can still sleep back home. The silence might be too heavy some days, but he's so used to it now it's almost too foreign to be elsewhere.

 

Mikey's brothers haven't reappeared though, so the silence of home is more oppressive than usual. His panic attack yesterday either scared them off, or his psyche can't handle creating the illusion today.

 

He tries to ignore it by working in the forge.

 

He's making progress with his metal work now. He's managed to create star shaped chunks now, even if they're unbalanced. It's not much, but it's better than where he started. He even manages a sloppy knife by mid-afternoon, the edges sharp but jagged. Some time with a whet stone fixes that for the most part, and it looks half way decent when he's done.

 

He wraps the end of it in hockey tape and declares it his first finished weapon.

 

A true ninja make use of anything as a weapon, even amateur knives. So he tucks it into a sheath on his belt. Now he's got a total of one knife. He pats himself on the back, because progress is progress.

 

He takes a nap before leaving for April's, since he'll need to be guarding their home all night. When his alarm goes off, he prepares himself for a potential battle. He takes all of his remaining smoke bombs, a total of twenty-five, his shitty knife, nun-chucks, and a tanto blade from his father's room.

 

He sweeps the radius of five blocks before heading down to April's window. No suspicious vehicles yet, so nothing to worry about for the time being.

 

April has left the window open, a clear invite, and has the doormat she'd put there as a joke a few weeks back still beneath the window. It's cheery Welcome! takes what dirt that clung to his feet off before he steps out onto the carpet.

 

He makes enough noise for the humans in the kitchen to know he's coming down the hall. When April sees him come in, her face lights up. Her father, pale and anxious as always, nods a greeting and smiles at him.

 

They're having pasta and veggie balls, and April's homemade sauce is delicious.

 

It's only after the plates are cleared and Kirby has retreated, April asks him the serious questions. How likely is that the Kraang will try again tonight, has he heard anything more activity from them lately, and how did they find her home?

 

Mikey admits to her it's likely they always knew, and could have come at any time. Why they didn't, he had no clue. There's no word on the streets about the Kraang either, not from anything he's overheard while he patrols. And hopefully the Kraang won't feel like trying again tonight, since it doesn't seem like their style.

 

But you never know, so Mikey tells her he's going to be staying over for the night up on the roof top. He'll keep an eye on things so they can sleep peacefully.

 

April gives him a container of left overs and tells him to take whatever he needs from the fridge later on. She hugs him again before going to sleep; which leaves Mikey pleasantly warm. He kinda really likes how much she's been hugging him; it's been a long time since anyone has.

 

Mikey keeps vigilance on top of the complex, munching slowly on a couple of grapes he'd snagged before he went up, for a long peaceful while.

 

It's on the end side of ten o'clock when Mikey spots a lone figure skating down the street at a fast pace. The individual has a whole bag of sports equipment on his back and a hockey mask donned, thick gloves covering their hands. Mikey narrows his eyes as the figure gets closer, the sounds of them singing their own theme music drifting upwards and-oh dammnit. That's Casey.

 

Casey rolls to a stop in front of April's complex, and Mikey takes the opportunity to shoot grapes at him. Three make contact with the top of Casey's black hair, and one with his eye through the hole. Mikey giggles as Casey cusses, trying to rub at his eye and instead just knocking his mask around.

 

Mikey is down the fire escape before Casey stops swearing, and sneaks up behind the human. Mikey almost gets a hockey stick to the face for his prank, but he considers it worth it.

 

As it turns out, Casey has been considering becoming a full-fledged vigilante for a long while, and April's endangerment gave him the motivation to finally go through with it.

 

Mikey tells him straight up he's probably going to get himself killed.

 

He and Casey end up bickering good naturedly for a good while, poking one another with barbs on the other's skills. Mikey doesn't expect it, but Casey draws it out of him so easily. The mock-fighting even gets Donatello to reappear, which gives Mikey immense relief. Donnie supplies lots of insults for Mikey to use, his continuing dislike of Casey showing. Mikey only relays the ones he deems tame enough.

 

It feels nostalgic to banter with someone again, April isn't much good for it; she can give as good as she gets, but she's not as crude as Casey is. Occasionally, Casey's laughter hits the right tone that almost matches Raph's, and Mikey will stutter a bit before picking up again.

 

It's a little bittersweet, but still mostly sweet.

 

When it creeps up to midnight, Mikey coerces Casey into going home. It's late for humans, and he knows Casey has school in the morning. School is important, according to April and his movies. It takes a lot of prodding, but eventually Casey gives. It doesn't look like there'll be any action tonight.

 

Mikey sticks around anyways, letting his legs hang over the lip of the roof. He finishes the last of the veggie balls as the sun starts to make itself known. He washes the container in the sink and leaves a thank you note written on a sticky note taken from a pad on the fridge.

 

It looks like they're out of the danger zone for now, but it's unsure how long that will last for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casey proves to be incorrigible about vigilantism.

 

Mikey meets up with him during patrols again and again, and finds Casey in deeper trouble each time. Really, how does one figure fighting fifteen Purple Dragon thugs at once will end well?

 

Fucking moron, Raph comments as Mikey plants his feet on a thug’s chest. Mikey rolls his eyes, and moves onto the next one. Casey refuses to back down from a fight, no matter the odds. It’s frustrating that he manages to have even less self-preservation than Mikey; and that’s hard to do.

 

Casey suffers in school even more now that he’s gallivanting around at night, falling asleep in the middle of lectures and getting detentions almost every day now. He says “definitely worth it”, but Mikey questions the truth of that. Don’t humans need to get good marks and attend universities?

 

To that, Casey replied that it wasn’t like he’d planned on going anyways. It’s hockey player, bounty hunter, or bust.

 

April smacks the back of his skull and tells him to start focusing on the papers in front of them anyways. Mikey has been joining them for study sessions now, and enjoys the background noise while he reads a novel.

 

It’s comfortable to be with them, and something close to peaceful. Mikey soaks up every second of it he can, still half afraid they’ll both vanish if he looks away. It’s too good to be true, but every time he heads over to April’s apartment, there they are waiting for him.

 

Even better, after he’s shown them both the way a couple times, they visit him in the sewers. On weekends, Casey or April, but mostly both, will sleepover for movie marathons of bad anime Mikey has. His human friends start bringing other movies, each more obscure and terrible than the last, as they try to outdo each other in abstract horribleness in movie format.

 

Mikey sits between the two of them, all of them on bean bag chairs, and can’t believe this is his life now. He has friends, people he can talk to outside of his dead brothers, and there’s probably nothing more he could want right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casey shows up in the middle of the day, with a swelling black eye no less, in their third week of friendship.

 

He laughs it off, but Mikey can see his friend’s hands shaking and tightness in his shoulders. Casey insists it was just another fight with some punks around his block, and that he’s fine. Mikey hands him an ice pack, and doesn’t believe him for a second.

 

Casey always wears long sleeves, even with the hot weather above ground. Mikey has only seen him take off his shirt once, during a push up contest Casey had talked him into, and Mikey had seen bruises shaped like hands up and down Casey’s arms; fist sized ones on his chest and stomach.

 

Mikey didn’t say anything then, choosing to keep at the contest instead. Before Casey had left though, Mikey told him that if he ever needed a ninja around, he knew where to find him.

 

Casey smiled, tight lipped still, and said he knew that.

 

Now, Mikey isn’t sure he can let it slide.

 

But what can he do. Casey’s family problems are his, and he hasn’t told Mikey what’s really going on at home. Mikey is a mutant living in the sewers, and he’s got no way to help his friend. All he can do is be there for Casey, and hand ice packs out.

 

Casey notices Mikey’s tense expression and pats the turtle’s shoulder. “Its fine, Mikester, I can handle it.”

 

“It’s really not fine,” Mikey says, looking away. He’s only known Casey for a little while, but he’s already almost as attached to him as he is with April. “I know you won’t say what really happened, but I… can still tell Casey. Why don’t you just leave him?”

 

Casey smiles in an uncharacteristic manner, looking far older than he should. Mikey doesn’t like it, it looks too much like his own in the mirror. “I stick around ‘cause they’re all I got. Even if I did leave, there’s no way I’d leave my little sister behind, and I can’t take care of her alone.”

 

Mikey clenches his fist, whiting his eyes out. “It’s still not right.”

 

“Hey, no scary ninja eyes, everything’s cool,” Casey says, gently punching Mikey’s arm; forcing Mikey to open his third eyelids again. “He never touches my sister, and I can take it. Its fine,” Casey frowns at him until Mikey backs down. Casey snakes an arm around Mikey’s shoulders, his mammalian heat sinking into Mikey’s scales. “Look, I really appreciate the concern, but… just let it be okay? I’ll call you if I ever need you to go all ninja on my old man, but ‘til then, lemme handle things. Okay?”

 

Mikey nods, feeling helpless and frustrated. “Yeah, okay.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, Casey starts spending most of the week at Mikey’s home.

 

Four out of seven days are spent sleeping on Mikey’s couch, and it’s an adjustment for Mikey to have someone around who’s physical and alive, but it’s good. Good for Mikey to have even more social contact, and good for Casey to get out of his home for a breather.

 

Casey eats as much as any teenage boy, and doesn’t turn his nose up to what Mikey puts on the table. Even when Casey figures out that Mikey eats mostly from dumpsters, he doesn't blink much. Just asks a couple of questions about how safe it is, to which Mikey shrugs; it hasn't killed him yet.

 

Casey says he'll take those odds and digs into a formerly too burnt to sell/now reheated pizza Mikey'd taken out of the freezer.

 

Casey however starts bringing boxes of cheap cereal and loaves of cheap white bread down, and conveniently forgets to take them home with him. Mikey doesn't say anything against it; he actually really likes Fruit-Loops it turns out, so he's not complaining.

 

With Casey's presence around Mikey, his brother's start to appear less and less. Mikey still sees and talks with them when he's alone, but they mostly keep away when Casey or April are over. Mikey wonders if he's finally getting better, and his mind is patching up it's rough spots.

 

It'll be hard though, adjusting to having his brothers gone again. Mikey has friends now, yes, but he still wants his brothers around. Even if there's a high chance they aren't real in any way, he still wants to keep them near. Losing them again would crush him.

 

So when they do show up, he does his best to acknowledge and talk with them as much as he can. He prolongs training sessions and takes his time with doing maintenance on the technology of the lair; just to keep his brothers visible longer.

 

Casey walks in on him talking to his brothers sometimes, but Mikey manages to play it off as him just talking aloud. Mikey would be skating on thin ice if his friends found out he talks to his dead brothers.

 

Mikey still spends every night watching April's apartment for at least a couple hours; he can't be too careful with the Kraang. He knows nothing of their ultimatum or what part April plays in it. So he keeps a steady vigilance over his whole territory, with help from Casey Jones; vigilante extraordinaire.

 

Mikey privately thinks it's a miracle that Casey made it this far in life, considering how eager he is to throw himself into a fight. Mikey does his best to help, but he doesn't like the notoriety that it gives him. Exposing himself to the gangs around his area makes him a target to interested parties if they find out.

 

Thankfully, most of them just think he's a costumed freak, and not a real life one. 'The one in the frog suit' is usually what they call him when he interferes with a brawl Casey has entered/started. Eh, it sucks to be mistaken for a frog, but it’s better than ending up a government experiment.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end here.

 

 

 

When April's dad goes away for an out of town conference, he reluctantly has to let her sleep over at Mikey's.

 

Kirby might not be happy about it, but Mikey is. He's got both of his favorite people over for the next three days and it makes his job of watching April a lot easier.

 

After the attack in the park, Mikey figured out that the Kraang were probably after April only. Her dad had come back from a conference completely fine, not a Kraang like incident the whole trip. Kirby would have been easy picking without Mikey around, and if they were gunning for him he would have gone on that trip and never come back.

 

April doesn't know about that, Mikey feels like it wouldn't garner a good reaction from her.

 

So for three days, Mikey spends every night with his friends. On the third night, just before Kirby is supposed to come home, Casey invites them to meet up to watch his hockey game. Casey wants April to come watch, and for Mikey to join them afterwards once the building's deserted. Mikey thinks that sounds like a lot of fun, he's never gone skating before.

 

Being cold blooded makes it difficult to enjoy winter games, but he should be fine for the short time there. He is part mammal after all, despite the mostly reptile biology.

 

Mikey doesn't accompany them to the rink unfortunately; the bus they'll be taking goes through areas he couldn't hide in and moves too quick for him to follow anyways. So he takes his time tunnel hopping, using a map of the sewers plus one of the above grounds to find his way. He gets turned around twice before Donnie shows up to point the right direction.

 

Donatello stays with him the whole time he's waiting on top of the rink for the game to finish. They chat about meaningless things and meaningful ones as well. Donnie admits to Mikey he's warmed up to Casey some, despite initially despising the human. Mikey tells him Casey really is a great guy, and that Donnie probably would have eventually gotten along with him. Not as well as Raph of course, but it's hard to beat a potential bromance of that magnitude.

 

Mikey tells Donnie he's sorry none of his brothers will ever meet his friends.

 

Donnie shakes his head sadly, and says there's nothing he could have done.

 

Mikey lets Donnie go when the game is over and people start pouring out of the stadium. One by one the parking lot empties until everyone has left. That's when he pries open one of the windows on the second floor and sneaks inside.

 

He stops briefly to snitch a couple of things from the concession stands, which has a terrible lock on it's shutter door and not a single camera around. Arms full of chocolate and chips, Mikey hurries into the arena.

 

Casey all but tackles him when he sees the food in Mikey's six fingers. April doesn't ask him where the food came from, and Mikey doesn't explain.

 

Casey is still sweaty and wearing his equipment, and munches happily on the fresh calories. Mikey compliments him on how well the game had gone; he'd heard the cheers all the way from the roof. Casey smirks and starts to regale them with his dramatic plays against the away team.

 

After Casey finishes his sweets and telling his tale, he coaxes Mikey onto the ice of the rink. Mikey put extra wrappings on his feet today for just this, and they do well against the ice. As it turns out, Mikey's natural athletic ability and ninja training make skating fairly easy. His feet are too big for proper skates, but sliding in a controlled fashion is pretty fun too.

 

April had borrowed a pair of skates from the team's stash skates alongside Mikey as he slides around. Casey does spins and turns and at one point, a twist in mid-air. Mikey and April clap as he takes a bow. Casey as it turns out took figure skating one year because it was what his family could afford at the time. They kicked him out before the competition season even started, but he kept a couple tricks they'd taught him.

 

They spend a whole hour skating in circles and talking, and it's got to be one of the best nights Mikey's ever had. He can't stop grinning and his words come easily, conversations ranging in seriousness as quick as Casey's skating.

 

Eventually, Casey hits the showers; sorely needing it at this point. Mikey is getting chilly too, feeling on the sleepy side. April notices, and sidles up to him so she's pressed against his side. She's warm from exercise, and has a scarf she winds around his neck. He feels a lot better with both those things happening.

 

He sighs a bit and relaxes against the stone wall behind them, content and happy.

 

His mood is shattered by the arena's doors flying inwards and revealing marching Kraang droids. They open fire at both Mikey and April, which the two of them narrowly avoid. He and April break for the men's change room, and almost collide with Casey, who was coming out armed with his mask and hockey stick.

 

Mikey shoves him back and they rush inside. He gets around the side of a row of lockers lining the wall and starts shoving at them. They aren't well installed, the community rink having to cut corners during construction, and they fall over like dominos. With the door blocked, Mikey leads them out of the change room's doors to the hallways.

 

The Kraang are everywhere, crawling through the building like termites. Mikey brought his A Game weapons just in case of this very event. His kusarigama winds around the three he aimed it at, and he flings them into the other ten incoming. The multiple identicals go down in a pile of distressed monotones.

 

April has a fire extinguisher that she grabbed off the wall and uses it to blind the wave they run towards. The white fire retardant gets all of them at once, and Mikey uses the chance to break through the center. Casey is beside him wielding his hockey stick like a pro, bashing the skulls of any droid that gets close enough to grab at them.

 

The sewers are within sight, Mikey can see the man hole he came out of earlier that night just twenty feet from the door. There are more Kraang outside, not as many as inside, but the said ones inside won't be far behind to give back up.

 

Mikey pulls off his bag, filled with explosives today, and pulls the pin on one of them. He stops and chucks it at the robot cluster, and pulls April and Casey down the ground; getting on top of them to protect them from shrapnel.

 

The bomb goes off, a small fire ball the size of a camper van, and blows up most of the robots. While the remaining robots are in shock, the three on their feet again. Mikey pulls off the cover of the hole, and they drop in fast as they can.

 

The fire ball will have attracted the attention of the houses near the rink, and the police should arrive soon.

 

Mikey struggles to remember which way he came from inside the tunnels, his adrenaline and controlled panic clouding his thoughts. He spots his brothers waving frantically on the end of a tunnel to the left, and he pulls his friends that way. April drops her heavy weapon to keep up with her two friends, both more accustomed to running for so long.

 

Mikey can't hear anything following them, but he weaves them through the tunnels anyways; hoping to keep the Kraang from finding them if they do try to follow. They run for another few minutes before stopping for a breather in a dry and crumbling area.

 

April collapses, breathing labored. Casey is panting too; most of his energy has been used up by the game earlier. Mikey stays standing and listening for any pursuit, taking deep breaths.

 

“Well that- _huff_ -was unexpected,” April says irritably. “Except- _huff-_ it somehow was.”

 

“Fucking Kraang,” Casey says, spitting on the ground in disgust.

 

“It doesn't sound like they're following us,” Mikey says, his breathing already back to normal. “But that was way too close. They're getting more desperate I think.”

 

“Man, what the heck do they even want April for anyways; or her dad?” Casey mutters.

 

“If we knew, Casey, we'd have told you by now,” April says, leaning her head against the cool stone.

 

Mikey fingers the blue scarf April has put on him earlier, rubbing the soft felt between his thumb and pointer finger. “...I don't think they're gonna stop until they have you April.”

 

April blows her bangs out her face with a huff, bringing her knees to her chest. “I know that. I just can't figure out why though, what makes me so important?”

 

Mikey is about to answer her question again, when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye. He swivels towards it in a blink, and he spots his brothers together at the end of the tunnel; where a wall was constructed when it was abandoned. They're all standing together beside a patch of moss with things sticking out of it.

 

“Where you going Mikey?” Casey asks as Mikey starts to drift towards the moss.

 

Mikey doesn't answer, eyes locked on the patch of green. The grate above to the left of the tunnel lets light shine down from the evening sky in, and water when it rains; which pooled near enough to the moss to grow. Mikey barely hears April and Casey start following him, his attention absorbed by the discovery his brothers have found.

 

He gets close enough to it to make out what's in the patch of moss, and feels his stomach drop out.

 

“Whoa, cool, a skeleton!” Casey exclaims, rushing over to it. Mikey snaps his arm out and drags him roughly away.

 

He ignores Casey's protests as he kneels at the edge of the patch. Nestled in the green, is a grey-white skeleton of a large animal. Scraps of red cloth cling in places, but they are frayed and faded. A rusted knife, its sheath beside it, lies close to what was a rib cage.

 

Mikey feels like he can't breathe, staring at what's left of his father.

 

Slowly, he lowers himself until his forehead is touching the stone of the floor. He can hear April shushing Casey's loud questions behind him, but he can't find space in his mind to think about that. He feels thirteen all over again, saying goodbye to his family for the final time.

 

A loud sob bubbles up from him, drawing both humans behind him closer. April pulls him up, wiping at his tears and asking what's wrong, but he can't-he can't form words. Michelangelo just clutches his sides and cries, shaking his head.

 

Casey tries to move him away from his father's remains, but Mikey jerks out of his grip.

 

“What's wrong Mikey, why are you crying?” April asks desperately, distressed by his reaction.

 

Mikey shakes his head again, covering his face with his hands. April rubs circles on his shell, trying to calm him down. Mikey takes three shaky breaths, and wipes at the tears tracking down his face. His voice is quiet and shaky as he speaks. “I-It's my dad. This i-is my dad, okay?”

 

Casey sharp intake of breath is coupled with April's horrified gasp. Casey starts cursing under his breath, hands raking his black hair. April is looking at his father's bone, and has a myriad of emotions playing across her face.

 

Mikey sniffles and pulls out of April's grip. He crawls the last distance to his father's skull, the moss soft against his exposed legs. He gently places his unsteady hand against the huge rodent skull, brushing the small plants that grow there.

 

“Casey?” Mikey says, not looking away from the remains.

 

“Yeah? What is it?” He replies in a soft voice.

 

“Do you have a-a spare bag? Please? I need to take him home.”

 

Casey pulls off his large back pack and starts emptying its contents. Note-books full of rarely used notes and half-finished lunch falls onto the tunnel floor; he hands it over when it's emptied.

 

Mikey gather the remaining bones, most having been taken off with my scavengers and unmutated rats, and carefully places them inside of the bag. He puts the skull inside last; removing it from the moss growing over it only after all the smaller bones are inside. His father's entire lower body is missing, only the chest, fore-arms, and head remaining.

 

He sheathes the knife too, ignoring the rust fluttering off as he does. It goes into his belt beside his own home made blades.

 

Mikey stands up and cradles the bag in his arms; he's going to do his best to not jostle it the whole way home.

 

April's small fingers place themselves on his shoulder, and he turns to face her. She looks heart broken, eyes teary and a deep sadness lacing her whole body. Casey is no better; he's slouching and looking lost. Mikey blinks as another tear finds its way out, feeling it crawl down his cool cheek.

 

April sniffles, and brushes it away. She pulls him gently into a hug, making sure not to touch the bag. Casey comes over and joins the two them, his longer arms getting around them both.

 

Mikey sobs again, and leans into both of his friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamato Yoshi finally rejoins his family that night, back where he belongs.

 

Mikey digs the hole with help from Casey, using shovels from the lab. April sits with his father's remains, laying the bones out one by one onto a shite sheet.

 

Mikey is the one to lay his father down in the dirt, treating the bones wrapped in white like they were glass. Hey places the skull on top of the bundle, and starts to fill in the ground. April helps this time, taking the shovel from Casey.

 

When the dust is settled, Mikey places new incense on the shrine; and starts to pray in his father's native tongue. April and Casey are silent as he speaks, letting Mikey fill the air by himself.

 

Mikey prays for his father to be reunited with his sons again, that his father will make it to afterlife despite committing suicide. He prays his father did not leave this world thinking his final son hated him for dying, because Mikey has never hated and he will not start now. He prays for everything he can think of, until he has nothing left, but to ask his father that he watches over him. To watch over him and his friends, who might as well be his family now.

 

When Mikey drops his hands from their claps, he stares blankly at the forth mound in the dirt. Maybe he'll have closure now, knowing the fate of his father. But he feels like his heart has been pulled out all over again, fresh blood flowing.

 

April and Casey move to sit beside him, one on either side. They each take hold of a hand, and whisper their condolences. Mikey nods, and squeezes the hands in his.

 

He's not alone this time, dealing with fresh grief. He has his closest companions beside him and all the support they can give.

 

Mikey cries for another family member lost, but this time someone wipes away the tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikey wakes up the next day swaddled in blankets on his couch.

 

He's alone in the room, but he can hear breakfast being made in the kitchen. His eyes burn as he rubs at them, still swollen from last night. He let’s all but one blanket fall off him as he gets up, wrapping the warm afghan around his shell and arms.

 

April is the one making French toast on the stove, flipping two over as he enters. He knocks on the door and she turns around. She smiles and beckons him over for a hug. He accepts the hug gratefully.

 

“How'd you sleep? Feeling any better?” She asks, raising her hand and tracing his cheek with her thumb.

 

“I feel much better now, thanks for asking,” He leans into her warm hand, closing his tired eyes. “Thank you both for sticking with me last night.”

 

“It was nothing Mikey, of course we would have,” April smiles down at him and puts her forehead against his. “You’re our best friend; we're going to be with you every step of the way.”

 

Mikey hums, happy to have her and Casey. “Speaking of Casey, where did he get off to?”

 

“He went to get my dad,” April explains, going back to making toast. Mikey moves away too, to sit down at the table. “We figured it would be too dangerous to send me, so Casey went around an hour ago to meet my dad at our house. He should be back soon.”

 

“Good thinking,” Mikey agrees.

 

April dishes the last two pieces of toast onto a plate and brings the pile to the table; which already had syrup and diced strawberries laid out with the plates. “Casey said to eat before he got back, since you were probably going to wake up before he did. Just leave a couple for him, okay?”

 

“No problem,” Mikey says as he takes a few slices and starts assembling his food together. They eat most of the strawberries, but leave more than enough toast for Casey's ravenous hunger. Mikey can dice some more for him if he needs them that badly.

 

When April sets down her fork on her sticky plate, she asks him a question. “Hey, Mikey? You going to be okay? I know last night must have been hard for you.”

 

Mikey takes a deep breath, the weight of his heart still burdensome. But, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. This has been a long time coming. I’m just glad I have you guys to help me get through it.”

 

April smiles and reaches across for his hand. He grasps her back and holds tight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with playlist:
> 
> http://8tracks.com/incorrectgardening/singular-child


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, last chapter, here we go!

 

When Casey gets back, he comes in running like a mad man.

 

And it's not a good dash either, not one for food or excitement to see them again. He has panic written all over his face and is covered in Kraang blood. And he comes alone.

 

Mikey is on his feet and checking him over in seconds, April just behind him. Casey shoves their hands away saying he's fine, but they gotta go _now._

 

“What hells going on Casey, what happened up there?” April asks, eyes searching for her father to appear around the corner at any moment. “Where's my dad?!”

 

“It's the Kraang!” Casey finally spits out. He's unsettled and angry at the same time, clenching and unclenching his grip on his bat. “They're invading all of New York right now! That's what last night's insanity was about; they were trying to grab you one last time before they started sending in their armies.”

 

April gasps in horror, hands going to her mouth. “What happened to my dad, you went to get him didn't you?”

 

“I'm sorry April,” Casey shakes his head, sounding wrecked. “I got to your apartment just as the portals in the sky opened up. He was there, but he got hit by something the Kraang are zapping all over the city; he turned into some tentacle monster.”

 

“No!” April shouts, stress tears forming in her eyes. “No, that can't be it!”

 

“I tried to get to him okay?! But shoved his car keys into my hands before I could grab him!” Casey shouts. “I tried, and I’m sorry I fucked up! God, I’m, I’m so sorry April.”

 

Mikey turns and runs back into the lair; if Casey is telling the truth then they needed to leave five hours ago. He yells over his shoulder that if they want to live, and maybe even rescue April and Casey's families, then they have to move out.

 

He shouts instructions to pack up their stuff, take only essentials, and take non-perishable food from the kitchen. He takes all of his equipment from its storage; suiting up to fight the war top side. The only other things he grabs are the scriptures, the small photo album his father made when they first moved in, and the four masks he and his brothers had been intended to wear.

 

He tightly packs these things into a side bag, and returns to the main area. Casey has stuffed all of his and April's clothes into one bag and April is filling the other with cans of tuna, protein bars, energy drinks, and a large bottle of water. Mikey grabs the small medical kit from the lab to add to the food bag.

 

They only pause once they're done, and it's to visit his family one last time.

 

Mikey lights incense and says a quick prayer, as well as a goodbye. It's not likely they're ever coming home again.

 

Mikey looks back as he shuts the door behind them, memorizing the room's details. The four weapons on the wall glint softly in the light as he shuts the panel.

 

Casey had parked Kirby's car close as he could to the lair, right beside the man hole in back alley. When Mikey pokes his head out to scan the area, it's clear of any life, but he can hear the screams from humans in the distance.

 

They don't bother covering back up the hole, heading straight into the car. Casey starts the car as he gets in, April in the passenger seat and Mikey in the back. He guns the engine and peals out of the alley, driving at dangerous speeds down the road. Mikey already lived closer to the outer rings of the city, so they avoid the pile ups heading out of down town.

 

Mikey watches the skies behind them, which is steadily filling with alien ships and bright pink lights. He's tensed and ready to fight if a stray ship decides to target them, but he doubts he can do much against one.

 

“What about your dad and sister, Casey?” Aprils asks, looking at the chaos behind them in the review mirror.

 

Casey's hands clench on the steering wheel, his eyes set on the road. “I called him on my way back. I got through, and I only managed to speak a few seconds before the line went dead,” Casey swallows and blinks tears away. “I don't think there's anything left of them to go back for.”

 

“Oh Casey,” April says mournfully.

 

Mikey keeps his eyes on the shrinking city, keeping careful eye on the ships. They're almost outside of the populated areas, only the airport left to pass before they hit open road.

 

He only relaxes when he can no longer see anything of New York, only rolling country side.

 

“Where do we go now?” Casey asks as they cruise aimlessly along the highway.

 

April takes her head away from the window where she'd been leaning and sits up. “A farm in Northampton. My family owns it; we used to spend summers there before mom died.”

 

“Northampton it is then,” Casey says as he drifts lanes to a turn off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When they finally get there, the shock of the events have worn off and they're all tired.

 

The house is older, faded panels and coloring all over. They don't have a key, but the door opens with a sturdy kick from Mikey. The inside is dusty and smells like musk, but none of them care much.

 

They open all the windows and start airing out the place. April drags out sheets and blankets that are hung on the clothes line outside. Casey pulls the plastic covers off the couches and starts hauling the cushions outside to get rid of the stagnant smell.

 

Mikey sweeps the floors of the whole house with a rickety old broom; only pausing to help flip the mattresses in each room to sleep on. He then heads downstairs to monkey with the fuse box until it turns on. Donnie hasn't reappeared since New York, and none of the others have either. So Mikey goes it alone, and manages to remember most of what Donnie taught him.

 

The power is still connected, and it just takes a couple flips of switches to bring everything back to life.

 

They finish up after the sun has completely set, and the woods surrounding the farm are dark as the back drop to the stars above.

 

They sit out on the porch steps drinking hot chocolate mix found in the cupboards; looking at the sky's stars. Mikey has never seen so many stars before. Despite all the horror that has transpired so recently, he manages a bit of wonder for the worlds above them. None of them talk; the only thing worth talking about is too raw to think of yet.

 

They drop their mugs on the table afterwards and head to their separate rooms.

 

But Mikey can't sleep. He tosses and turns in the unfamiliar bed that smells like dust, unable to rest his mind.

 

He has none of his sleeping pills with him, the medical kit only carrying items for emergencies. He's just resigned himself to sleepless night when he hears footsteps thumping onto the floor above him. He'd taken the bottom floor room, to be the first line of defense in case something broke in.

 

The footsteps walk out of the room they originate from, signaled by the door opening, and head to another side of the house.

 

Mikey picks up his nun-chuck as he slides out of bed, and goes to investigate.

 

He finds Casey's room empty, the sheets tangled and flung away. April's room is still closed, but he can hear muffled voices coming from inside. He walks quietly over and knocks on the door.

 

“Mikey?” April's voice asks.

 

“Yeah, it's me.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Mikey opens the door, and finds both of the humans sitting on April’s bed. April's hair is down from its pony tail and Casey is missing his bandana; they both look very different without them.

 

April smiles wanly at him. “Couldn't sleep either?”

 

“Nah,” Mikey replies, shuffling his feet. “Not a wink. I heard footsteps walking around so I came to find out what was up.”

 

“Might as well join the party now that you're here,” Casey says, scooting over onto far side of the queen bed.

 

Mikey eyes them both, feeling unsure of his own presence with them for the first time in a while. “You sure?”

 

“Get in here Mikey, we all need sleep,” April orders, scooting over as well. Mikey relaxes and goes to join them. He leaves his nun-chaku on the bedside table, within easy reach if something goes wrong.

 

His shell is to the door as he lies down, adding to the protection of his companions. April pulls the sheets up over them all, before settling into her position in the middle. She has her back to Casey, who has slung an arm over her midriff. April pulls Mikey closer so he's bumping knees with her and their arms connect.

 

Mikey closes his eyes and listens until both of them have dropped off to sleep; their even breaths ever so slightly out of sync. Mikey lets that rhythm soothe his nerves, and he too falls asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world is ending, that's what the television proclaims.

 

When they get up the next day, the thirty year old television is blaring nothing but news about New York's invasion. The army couldn't do anything other than barricade the strange infection trying to creep out. Fighter jets are constantly circling the city now, missiles ready to fire if a ship tries to leave.

 

Missing person reports slide across the bottom of the screen on one channel, reading off the names of people found evacuating New York. Casey's family isn't listed, and neither is April's aunt.

 

The house is solemn, and stuffy with their emotions.

 

There's nothing they can do, and it's killing all of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While an intergalactic war is fought in New York, the three of them try to make the farm house their new home.

 

It’s a difficult change to make, but they soldier through.

 

Casey starts taking jobs in town so they can pay for food; the money on April's emergency credit card is going to run out sooner or later; better start saving now.

 

When Casey gets jobs that involve working away from people and long into the night, such as fence repair for ranches and farms, Mikey goes along to help out. It's not much, and it's risky, but Mikey needs to help out somehow.

 

April buys some hens off of a farm next to their land, and puts them inside the formerly unused coop. They'll produce eggs for them to eat, and can be a roast if needed; it takes some pressure off the food money.

 

It's pointless, trying to carve a life out in the middle of nowhere on a planet that's going to be invaded completely very soon in the near future. But they don't have anything else to do, and the day they all die is a while off still. No sense in going hungry before then.

 

The biggest change though, is the relationships between them all.

 

Lines are blurring as the seams of the world come undone. The end is nigh as some would say, and that makes them less inclined to keep strict boundaries in place anymore.

 

Mikey takes whatever affection he can get from them both, closeness he's been denied for years. Casey and April are much the same, going off on their own for a few hours every now and then, before coming back and dragging Mikey into it too.

 

They're all expecting to die soon, so where's the point in holding back?

 

He spends the long hours working with Casey talking and play-fighting and something close to kissing. It's messy and undefined between loving and platonic closeness, but it's everything Mikey has ever wanted.

 

April is all soft curves and clever words, talking with him until their voices are hoarse. When Casey is working a job in town, they spend the hours close as possible to the other. Mikey kisses April too, and she's sunlight to Casey iron tang. He curls around her heat outside in the grass and sun, feeling more at home than he ever did in the underground.

 

It's best when they're all together, knitting themselves into a tangle as the world does the reverse.

 

 

 

 

 

He shares with them the very thin book of photographs Splinter had taken of their family. It only goes up to Raph's death, but the years that are included inside are precious memories. He points out who is who out of the small turtles in the photographs; most of them blurred because of the hyper children they were, but a few manage to be clear.

 

He only cries a little, looking at pictures of his brothers alive and well.

 

April agrees with Mikey's idea that Raph and Casey would have gotten along like a house on fire. Two quick to fight and scrappy individuals in the same room? It would have been chaos. Mikey points out that with her talents in mathematics,  she and Donnie would definitely have had something to bond over. Science bros, for sure.

 

When he gets to the last photo taken, a family portrait, he feels a swell of pain as he looks at his father's proud face. He's kneeling in the photo, and has three little turtles clustered around him.

 

Mikey is sitting in his father's lap, grinning widely at the camera. Donatello already has his gap tooth, and proudly shows it at Splinter's shoulder. Raph on the other side, in a rare moment, is not smirking, but smiling at the camera lens.

 

He settles against his companions as they put the book down on the coffee table; turning on a movie to chase away the nostalgia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikey takes the masks from his bag and places them inside of a draw of the vanity. They are folded in neat rectangles, looking new as the day his father made them. Mikey only ever wore his once, same as Raph and Donnie.

 

He runs his fingers over the fabric, wondering where his brothers have gone now. Back to the afterlife? Or have they retreated into his psyche, never real in the first place?

 

He shuts the drawer, and hopes that they were real. That his brothers got to see him grow up and got to meet April and Casey even just by technicality. He hopes that they stayed with him all those years because he asked for them to come back, and that they've gone to the world beyond with their father now.

 

He'll miss them, he'll always, always miss them, but he has more than just an empty lair now.

 

He has April and he has Casey, both worth more than his home ever was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The woods make Mikey feel alive, stirring deep rooted evolutionary patterns in his brain.

 

It's a feeling of rightness he's never felt, having sunshine on his scales all day and fresh air to breathe whenever he pleases.

 

They take walks almost every day, enjoying the respite of nature. New York is too far away to be remembered when they're out here.

 

Mikey learns easily to swing and leap in the trees, the branches and trunks better for play than concrete and metal ever was.

 

The pond and stream they find in the middle of the woods is filled with lily pads and reeds, ordinary turtles swimming slowly under water. Frogs jump as Mikey slowly eases himself into the water, avoiding the ripples he makes. Diving under with his second eyelids closing to keep the water out, he immerses himself in the world he was made for originally. It's a cool temparature, but not so bad it bothers him. The mud squishes between his toes and hands as he swims along the bottom. He digs up a plant on a whim, and finds a tuber that looks very tasty to him. It's something of a cross between a radish and a carrot when he bites into it, chewing it thoughtfully.

 

The pond is disrupted again as waves start rippling across the top. Mikey heads back towards the middle where the current from the stream flows through. Casey is in his boxers and treading water already, and trying to convince April to get in with them.

 

With both of them chanting her name, she gives, and strips down to her bra and panties. She shrieks and Mikey grabs her around the waist and pulls her rest of the way in.

 

The ensuing water fights disrupt everything with hearing for the next mile round.

 

They all take an actual shower that night, each taking a turn inside the shower head while the others sit on the floor or the lip of the tub.

 

Mikey has never used scented soap before, but he does on April's advice. He finds that he likes the smell of guava/peaches a lot. He and April team up to force Casey to shower with it,  _and_  for more than a minute shower under the water’s spray.

 

They also take his Axe body spray away from him, since neither of them wants him covering up the scent of guava with masculinity-in-a-bottle.

 

It's still hot enough outside that the two humans can let their hair air dry on the porch while Mikey cooks dinner.

 

 That night they curl up together in the queen sized bed of their room, limb against limb, and so close they can't tell where one of them begins and the others end.

 

It's more perfect than anything Mikey has ever known, and ever will know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The peace can't last, and they never expected it to.

 

Two months, two months of delirious waiting in a dream like state, and that's when the world finally ends.

 

It's not the Kraang that bring about the end; it's another hostile fleet of space ships aiming to destroy the nest the Kraang have made of earth. The aliens, calling themselves the Triceratons, broadcast their video declaration of war over every TV in the world.

 

They're going to destroy the Kraang, and with it, earth itself.

 

As the black hole swallowing the sky widens enough for Mikey, April, and Casey to see it in Northampton; Mikey finds a sense of peace.

 

He's been expecting his end for years now, been wishing for it too. To end all the confusion and the heart break. Now he's getting it, and he's regretting his wish.

 

He finally,  _finally_ , has himself together again. His mind is sound, and his heart is healing. He has a home where no one can see him as he runs freely under the sky, and a warm place to sleep every night. He has two of the most wonderful people he's ever met by his side in that bed every night, both swearing they won't ever leave him. .

 

He has almost everything he's ever wanted; the only thing missing are his brothers and father. But he's come to terms with that, ready to move on from the deep hurts inside him.

 

As gravity lessens and the ground below them breaks, Mikey pulls his partners close to him. April is crying, her tears floating away with the rest of the world. Casey is too, his eyes watery, but his expression is set and ready; ready for the end.

 

Mikey feels some of his own tears slide off his face, crystalline drops floating upwards to follow his partners’.

 

The pull of the black hole has taken them in its grip, and it's pulling everything into its endlessness.

 

Mikey keeps his arms locked around both April and Casey, not letting them slip away for an instant.

 

They're going to die, everything is going to die.

 

They were always going to die.

 

But at least,

 

as the black swallows them,

 

they are together.

 

 

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_The End._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now wasn't that a ride?  
> I have been in many fandoms that involve doomed timelines that are based off diverging paths in canon.  
> I thought I might some of that pain to my new home fandom, the ever delightful TMNT fandom; which can always use from more Mikey being a BAMF and feeling sad. - v -  
> This particular doomed timeline came from an idea of Pure Angst I thought of at like 2 AM. Lots of other characters get to star in a doomed timeline/angsty alt universe, so I decided to inflict one on Mikey!! ＼(￣▽￣;)／  
> Don't get me wrong, I love all these characters very deeply. I just want to see a lot of pain before they're happy.  
> Did I plan on making this into a semi-love story? Nnnnnot really. But writing has a tendency to do what it wants, especially when you write most of it in the dead of night. Regardless, I've added a new OT3 to my list, even if it only works in this one universe.  
> Please, let me know what you thought! I worked a long while on this, and slept not nearly enough during the process; of course that's not unusual really...  
> I’ve been playing with the idea of a sequel, sort of an additional bit of closure. It’d be a crossover with the canon verse, since I’d like to give main timeline Mikey, April, Casey, and the bros something to think about. The story would be short, not heavy on the action so much as heavy on the emotional side of things.  
> If there’s enough interest, or really any, I’ll hash out the details fully.  
> Anyways, leave a comment and a kudo! I love all of those, they light up my day!

**Author's Note:**

> ((Re-uploading, 06/07/2016, as a multichaptered fic.))


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